Inspired by the book The Skinnygirl Dish by Bethenny Frankel, I decided to create a vegetable soup to eat before meals. This vegetable soup is the perfect appetizer to serve to company or Not only do I sneak more vegetables into my diet (yes, I am a five year old) but I love the idea of filling up on this hearty and delicious soup before sitting down to a meal as a way of portion and appetite control. The base of this soup is from the garlic, onion, carrot and celery – but feel free to substitute the other four vegetables to ones that you love. The key to this soup is to cut all vegetables to roughly the same size for even cooking and a smoother puree. Substitute vegetable broth for a purely vegetarian soup.
Pureed Vegetable Soup:
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 c onion, diced
1/2 c celery, diced
1/2 c carrot, diced
1 c sweet potato, diced
1 c broccoli, diced
1 c cauliflower, diced
1 c red pepper, diced
1 quart chicken broth
1/4 c parsley, loosely packed
Over medium heat, combine olive oil and butter in large sauce pan. Add garlic and saute until fragrant. Add onion, season with salt and pepper. Saute for 5 minutes. Add carrot and celery, saute another 5 minutes. Add remaining vegetables and chicken broth. Bring soup to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 40 minutes. Take soup off of the heat for 5 minutes to cool. Add parsley and blend soup (with traditional blender or immersion blender) and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Who doesn’t love baked Brie? It melts beautifully with its warm and oozing cheesy goodness. I have had baked brie many ways, my favorite kind involving caramel ice cream topping and slivered almonds (but that’s a different post!). The only thing I don’t like about baked brie is the fact that everyone has to take turns diving into the plate, scooping up the hot cheese, plopping it on their cracker or bread. So I solved this by individually portioning the cheese onto the crackers, baking them in the oven and then topping each cracker with the jam and walnuts. They are easy to eat and delicious too! And while I don’t usually tell you what type of product to use in any recipe, I will tell you that in this recipe I use Carr’s Whole Wheat crackers. They are more like sweet little cookies rather than crackers and they are to die for!
Baked Brie on Crackers (makes 24 crackers):
24 crackers of your choice
1 wedge of imported Brie
1/4 c seedless raspberry preserves
1/4 c chopped walnuts
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Working in groups of 12, line baking sheet with crackers. Cut rind off of Brie and discard. Cut cheese into little squares or rectangles and fit onto crackers (does NOT have to be perfect). Bake crackers with cheese in oven for 4 minutes. While crackers are baking, heat small nonstick skillet over medium high heat and dry toast the walnuts. Take crackers out of the oven. Using two spoons, top each cracker with a little dollop of raspberry preserves (don’t put too much, see picture). Return to the oven and bake for 1 minute. Remove from oven and top with walnuts. Transfer carefully to serving plate and enjoy!
There is a book that my sister gives out for housewarming gifts called The Great Salsa Book. When I tell you that this book contains every salsa recipe imaginable- think Cactus Salsa, Thai Peanut Salsa and Balsamic Berry Salsa. There is one recipe from this book that I used to beg my sister to make for me, the Smokey Barbecue Salsa. This salsa makes a perfect appetizer, it’s sweet and smokey and bursting with flavor. Yes, it does take an hour to cook, but trust me – it’s worth it! I hope you try it.
Smokey Barbecue Salsa (Makes about 2 cups):
1 c barbecue sauce (your favorite kind)
2 c peeled shallots or boiling onions
2 tbsp Chipotle puree (simply puree the peppers and the adobo sauce in a food processor)
2 tbsp molasses
1 tbsp pure maple syrup
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 c water
2 small ears of corn (I used 1 cup of frozen corn, thawed and drained)
Place barbecue sauce, shallots, Chipotle puree, molasses, maple syrup, vinegar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Add more water as necessary to prevent the mixture from getting too thick.
With sharp knife, cut the corn kernels from the cob. Heat large, heavy bottomed saute pan over high heat until almost smoking. Place no more than 2 layers of corn in the pan at a time and dry roast 4 to 5 minutes until smokey and dark, tossing continuously. Transfer to a mixing bowl, add barbecue mixture and combine thoroughly. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
This is a great appetizer to throw together when you are feeding a crowd. These stuffed mushrooms are filling and delicious! I used chicken italian sausage in this recipe to cut down on the fat (turkey italian sausage would work great, too). If you can’t get the sausage to crumble into little pieces, give cooked pieces a whirl in the food processor for just a minute. You can make the filling ahead of time and fill the mushrooms when you are ready to bake. Also, I froze a batch of fully stuffed, unbaked mushrooms on a cookie sheet in the freezer. When the mushrooms are completely frozen, remove from the baking sheet and place appetizers into a freezer bag. Keep in the freezer and bake in oven for a great and easy last minute appetizer.
Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms (makes 20 mushrooms):
3 tbsp olive oil, divided
salt and pepper to taste
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp anchovy paste (optional)
1 shallot, minced
3 links uncooked chicken or turkey sausage, casings removed
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 c fresh parsley, chopped finely
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
20 large white button stuffing mushrooms
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In large skillet over medium high heat, add 1 tbsp of olive oil. Add in garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add crushed red pepper and anchovy paste to the pan. Stir until paste has melted into the oil. Add shallots, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until shallot become translucent. Add raw sausage and break up into little pieces with wooden spoon. Add balsamic vinegar, let cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Transfer sausage mixture to medium mixing bowl. Add parsley, Parmesan cheese and remaining two tbsp of olive oil. Taste filling, salt and pepper accordingly. Clean and remove stems from 20 mushrooms. Cover baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray foil with cooking spray. Using a teaspoon, fill mushrooms (gently) with filling and place on baking sheet. Bake in over for approximately 15 minutes – remove when filling is bubbly and mushrooms are beginning to get brown around the tops (see picture). Serve warm or at room temperature.
I fell in love with a cookbook over Thanksgiving weekend. I picked up my aunt’s copy of The Silver Palate and didn’t put it down for the rest of the weekend. I had to take some recipes home with me and this was one of the recipes I copied. It is now my absolute favorite soup. It’s easy enough for a week night first course, but still gives you that comforting “been cooking all day” feeling. And it will make your house smell awesome! If I had this soup before every meal, I’d be a happy camper. I did substitute celery for parsnips, simply because I had celery in my fridge and no parsnips. I also used 2 tbsp of butter and 2 tbsp of olive oil instead of the 4 tbsp of butter that the recipe calls for. That’s just my personal preference. Here is the recipe in the original form:
Beef and Red Wine Broth (Serves 6):
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1 and 1/2c chopped yellow onions
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 parsnip, peeled and chopped
8 to 10 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
3/4 c chopped parsley
5 c beef stock (or combination beef and chicken stock)
1 c dry red wine
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup small pasta (I used orzo)
Grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese for garnish (optional, but highly recommended!)
Melt butter in large heavy pot over low heat. Add the onions, carrots, parsnip and chopped garlic. Cook, covered, until all vegetables are tender (approx. 25 min). Add chopped parsely, beef stock and wine. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce heat and let simmer (partially covered) for 20 minutes. Bring quart of salted water to a boil and add in pasta. Cook until pasta is tender. Drain pasta and reserve. Pour soup through a strainer and discard solids. Return broth to the soup pot, add cooked pasta and simmer (covered) for 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
I had this salad as a side dish in an adorable French Bistro in upstate New York. The minute I tasted this, I knew I had to try to recreate this at home. This amazing salad is served slightly warm or at room temperature and couldn’t be any easier – only five ingredients! I’m not sure I captured the original dish exactly, but I like my version better.
Orzo Butternut Squash Salad (6 First Course Servings):
1 cup diced raw butternut squash (see picture below)
8 oz uncooked orzo pasta
3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 stick of unsalted butter
8 fresh sage leaves
Salt and Pepper to taste
In a medium size sauce pan, bring good amount of water to a boil. Add squash and orzo to water, bring back to a boil and let cook for 12 minutes. Drain well. Meanwhile, melt butter in skillet. Add sage leaves and fry until leaves become dark and fragrant and butter begins to brown (approx 7-9 minutes). Remove sage leaves and drain on paper towel. In large mixing bowl, add orzo and squash. Drizzle brown butter in mixing bowl and add Parmesan cheese. Stir gently to combine. Salt and pepper cooked pasta to taste. Mold each serving in a ramekin or round cookie cutter. Garnish with fried sage leaves.
For Thanksgiving I plan to serve this appetizer I created while making a delicious olive salad for baked cod one night. This olive salad was so tasty, I could have eaten the whole bowl! It reminded me very much of the spread that goes on a traditional muffaletta. Add some salami, provolone and some puff pastry and an appetizer is born. The best part about this recipe is that they are best served at room temperature or slightly warm. You can make them up to two days before and not occupy precious oven space on the day of your party!
Muffaletta Pinwheels (36 pieces)
2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
18 thin slices of Genoa salami
6 slices of provolone cheese
Olive Salad (recipe below)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Working with one puff pastry sheet at a time, spread sheet out on cutting board. Lay 9 overlapping salami slices on pastry. Take 3 slices of provolone cheese, tear into pieces and randomly place over salami. Spread half of the Olive Salad over pastry. Carefully roll pastry up. Working with the seam facing down on the cutting board, cut into 18 slices (approx. 1/2 inch each). Use spatula to transfer slices from cutting board to greased baking sheet (otherwise filling may fall out during transfer – not that it happened to me or anything!). Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Repeat with second puff pastry sheet.
Olive Salad:
8 pitted black olives
8 green Spanish olives
4 marinated artichoke hearts
2 tsp capers
1 whole roasted red pepper
1 tbsp deli pepper rings (more or less, depending on how much kick you like)
1 tbsp olive oil
Place all ingredients into food processor. Pulse 10 times or until mixture is evenly chopped. See picture:
There are many, many different appetizer wings out there – and they are all delicious, are they not? These are the wings I grew up with and these are the wings that I crave the most. My mother made these wings for special occasions – cookouts, family get togethers, pot luck dinners – and the smell of these tasty appetizers cooking takes me right back to my childhood. When I asked my mother for this recipe, I was shocked at how few ingredients were involved. The taste is phenomenal and I hope you try these for your next party.
Asian Wings (Serves 4):
2 1/2 lbs frozen chicken wing sections, thawed (sometimes called Party Wings)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tsp garlic powder
Combine thawed chicken wings, soy sauce, orange juice and garlic powder. Marinate over night or for at least 8 hours, turning occasionally. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, turn wings over, bake another 45 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
In the last two nice steakhouses I’ve eaten at, I’ve ordered the mashed potatoes with bleu cheese. And wow, did I fall in love! I was determined to turn this flavor combination into an appetizer to post on this site and voila! Potato pancakes! This recipe is also a great way to use up your leftover mashed potatoes after Turkey Day. A couple of things I’ve learned while making mashed potato pancakes – be sure to use a non-stick skillet (Right now I’m eating my failures from my cast iron skillet – still delicious!) and do not rush them. They take longer to brown up than you would think!
Gorgonzola Mashed Potato Pancakes (Serves 4):
2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
3 tbsp gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1 egg
Canola Oil
Heat 1 tbsp of Canola oil in non-stick skillet over medium heat. In large mixing bowl combine mashed potatoes, cheese and egg – beat with fork until mixture comes together. Using two large tablespoons, scoop mashed potato mixture and drop into skillet. Form and press pancake until it is the size you desire. Cook no more than two pancakes at one time. Repeat process until you have 8 pancakes (serve two per person) and top with your choice of garnish. Enjoy!
You don’t have to go to New York to enjoy a tasty Reuben. I’ve created this bite sized version of my favorite sandwich. This is sure to be a crowd pleaser! Take the time to make your own dressing with this recipe – not only is it super easy, but it is so much better than store bought. Enjoy!
Mini Reubens (Serves 4):
6 mini whole wheat bagels, split in half (12 total pieces)
1/4 lb deli sliced corned beef
3/4 cup sauerkraut
1/2 cup dressing
6 slices swiss cheese
Dressing:
1/4 c ketchup
1/4 c mayonnaise
1 tsp sweet relish (optional)
1/4 tsp lemon juice
Preheat broiler. Spread bagels out on baking sheet. Divide dressing evenly among the 12 bagel pieces. Top with sauerkraut, then corned beef. Cut each cheese slice into six even squares and top each bagel half with 3 squares each. Place baking sheet under broiler and broil until cheese just melts (approx 6-8 mins).
. When I tell you that this book contains every salsa recipe imaginable- think Cactus Salsa, Thai Peanut Salsa and Balsamic Berry Salsa. There is one recipe from this book that I used to beg my sister to make for me, the Smokey Barbecue Salsa. This salsa makes a perfect appetizer, it’s sweet and smokey and bursting with flavor. Yes, it does take an hour to cook, but trust me – it’s worth it! I hope you try it.
and didn’t put it down for the rest of the weekend. I had to take some recipes home with me and this was one of the recipes I copied. It is now my absolute favorite soup. It’s easy enough for a week night first course, but still gives you that comforting “been cooking all day” feeling. And it will make your house smell awesome! If I had this soup before every meal, I’d be a happy camper. I did substitute celery for parsnips, simply because I had celery in my fridge and no parsnips. I also used 2 tbsp of butter and 2 tbsp of olive oil instead of the 4 tbsp of butter that the recipe calls for. That’s just my personal preference. Here is the recipe in the original form:
Orzo Butternut Squash Salad (6 First Course Servings):
