Tapas Nite

This summer has blown by and all of my friends and I have been scattered to the wind. So, I had to come up with a good excuse to corral us all together and that resulted in 'Tapas Nite.' Inspired by a Tapas cookbook two of them had given me as a gift, I might add.

I highly recommend a Tapas party if you like to theme it up. Just beware the salt lick of ham that crops up when you want to get your pinchos on. Take your Diurex early and often!

If you're looking for menu ideas, we had:

• Pork tenderloin, caramelized onions and brie crostini
  
• Ham, brie, walnuts and balsamic crostini


• Marcona almonds roasted w/rosemary and sea salt


• Beef empanadillas


• Goat cheese and serrano ham empanadillas


• Mascarpone, goat and chive stuffed dates wrapped in serrano ham


• Swordfish ceviche


• Shrimp salad


• Potatoes roasted with rosemary, shallot, garlic and sea salt


• Sausage and manchego toasts


• Sangria


• Cava for dessert

I made the potatoes (amongst a few other things) and they seemed to be a hit! So here's the recipe for you--

Potatoes Roasted with Shallot, Garlic and Rosemary

2 lbs smallish older potatoes, quartered
1 tbsp chopped rosemary
5 oz shallot- larger ones cut in half or quarters so they cook evenly
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4 c. good spanish olive oil
sea salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Bring water to boil, add potatoes and a fistful of salt. Once water is boiling again after adding potatoes, set the timer for 5 minutes. Strain. Toss in bowl with olive oil, rosemary and salt. Roast for 35 minutes. Add shallots and garlic, roast for approx 20 minutes more.

Chili, how can I make thee.....

.....let me count the ways.

Ok, seriously, how many ways can I futz with chili? I dunno, I feel like haven't even scratched the surface yet. I love just throwing stuff into a pot and seeing how it turns out. And apparently chili is my medium. This particular recipe is reminiscent of a diner chili, which happens to be my favorite style. I don't care for chunky veggies. I want a sweet tomato base, beans and meat. Simple, straighforward deliciousness!

I will say, all modesty aside, that I think this is my favorite one thus far in my home cooking career. Not as spicy as my other chilis, it's a nice balance between sweet (tomatoes/ketchup), sour(lea & perrins chicken marinade/beer), salty and spicy. Some of you might turn your nose up at the ketchup, but I saw someone use it recently on food network's Triple D (one of my fav shows currently!) and I thought I'd give it a shot. In my opinion, I think it works!

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Chili

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 28 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 c. ketchup

1 T. Lea & Perrins "White" Worcestershire/Chicken Marinade
1 large onion, chopped fine (I pulverize mine in the food processor)
4 large garlic cloves, pressed
1 bottle Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Pinch of dried Oregano
Chili powder
Cumin
Garlic Powder

Red Chili Flake
4 regular cans beans of your choice
Salt
Pepper
3-4 frozen/fresh chicken breasts
Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Meanwhile, rub chicken down with olive oil and season with pinch of oregano, chili powder (be generous), 1 tspn cumin, salt and pepper. Roast anywhere from 35 minutes (fresh) to 45 minutes (frozen). Place in bottom of crockpot. Pour in tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, ketchup, lea & perrins chicken marinade and beans.

On stovetop, sweat onions and garlic over medium heat until translucent (approx 5 minutes). Adding palmful of chili powder, 1 tspn cumin, salt and pepper while onions cook. Pour in beer and reduce by half. Pour into crockpot with rest of ingredients.

Cook on low all day, or cook on high for a few hours. Shred chicken a few hours in when tender.

Serve with your favorite sides! Preferably a nice beer bread or jalepeno corn bread~!

Creamy Mushroom Phyllo

This is one of my favorite hors d'oeuvres to make and eat! I will assemble and freeze these beauties about a week before a party. If you can't find dried porcini's, don't worry. The tastiest batch I've ever made had a combination of dried portobello, chanterelle and wood ear mushrooms. So, don't be afraid to mix it up! I hope you enjoy these as much as I do.


Creamy Mushroom Phyllo Triangles
courtesy Cooking Light

This elegant appetizer takes a couple of hours to make, but you can do all the preparation ahead of time. Don't fold triangles too tightly or the mixture will burst through the phyllo. Assemble and freeze up to two weeks before the party. Don't thaw the triangles before baking; just add seven minutes to the baking time.

3/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms (about 3/4 ounce)
1 pound button mushrooms
1 large onion, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 8 ounces)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
6 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
24 (18 x 14-inch) sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
Olive oil-flavored cooking spray

Cover porcini mushrooms with boiling water in a bowl. Let stand 1 hour. Drain well; chop.
Place half of button mushrooms in a food processor; pulse 8 times or until finely chopped. Remove from processor. Repeat procedure with remaining button mushrooms. Add onion to processor; pulse 8 times or until finely chopped.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion; sauté 5 minutes. Add button mushrooms; cook until mushrooms are tender and liquid evaporates (about 10 minutes). Stir in porcini mushrooms, oregano, salt, pepper, and nutmeg; cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add cheese; stir until cheese melts. Stir in parsley.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Place 1 phyllo sheet on a large cutting board or work surface (cover remaining phyllo to prevent drying). Cut sheet in half lengthwise; lightly coat with cooking spray. Fold each phyllo piece in half lengthwise to form a (3 1/2-inch-wide) strip. Spoon a level tablespoon of mushroom mixture onto 1 short end of each strip, leaving a 1-inch border. Fold 1 corner of edge with 1-inch border over mixture, forming a triangle; continue folding back and forth into a triangle to end of strip. Repeat procedure with remaining phyllo, cooking spray, and mushroom mixture. Place triangles, seam side down, on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat tops with cooking spray.

Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until golden. Serve warm.

Poinsettias

While looking for a festive party drink, I tripped across this Southern Living favorite. It's very tasty and was a big hit!

Poinsettia Punch

Chill the Champagne and juice in the refrigerator before the party; then mix the punch right before serving. I actually mixed everything except the champagne in separate gallon sized zip-top baggies. That way, when I needed to mix another pitcher, everthing was good to go!

1 (750-milliliter) bottle Champagne, chilled
3 cups cranberry-apple juice, chilled
1/4 cup thawed white grape juice concentrate
1/4 cup Grand Marnier

Stir together all ingredients in a 2-quart pitcher.

Serve in Champagne flutes.

Fondue

Part of our family's tradition every year is to do both a cheese & chocolate fondue. This can happen on Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve, we're not particular about the date. We indulge sometime around the end of year holidays.

This year, we did fondue for friends at a small gathering and it was a big hit. Here are our favorite recipes--

Ultimate Cheese Fondue
courtesy, Tyler Florence

1/2 pound imported Swiss cheese, shredded
1/2 pound Gruyere cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon cherry brandy, such as kirsch
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard Pinch nutmeg Assorted dippers

In a small bowl, coat the cheeses with cornstarch and set aside. Rub the inside of the ceramic fondue pot with the garlic, then discard.

Over medium heat, add the wine and lemon juice and bring to a gentle simmer. Gradually stir the cheese into the simmering liquid. Melting the cheese gradually encourages a smooth fondue. Once smooth, stir in cherry brandy, mustard and nutmeg.

Arrange an assortment of bite-sized dipping foods on a lazy Susan around fondue pot. Serve with chunks of French and pumpernickel breads. Some other suggestions are Granny Smith apples and blanched vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and asparagus. Spear with fondue forks or wooden skewers, dip, swirl and enjoy!

Chocolate Fondue
(not sure where this recipe came from, it's just in my files and happens to be our fav :) )

16 oz bittersweet chocolate
1 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. caramel syrup/ice cream topping
3 tbsp Grand Marnier

Slowly melt together all ingredients over a double boiler. Once all items are fully combined, serve and enjoy! Some dippers may include bananas, strawberries, pretzel sticks, pound cake, angel food cake, marshmellows, green apples.

The Ultimate Spinach/Artichoke Dip

Party season is right around the corner! And inevitably, this dip gets some major action on the buffet tables. No matter where I take it, people always ask for the recipe. And believe it or not, it's a lower fat alternative to the normal dips, but flavor-wise you'd never know the difference. If you want to use full-fat cream cheese and sour cream, knock yourself out. But, a warning, it might be so crazy delicious you lose your mind!~ :)

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_30493,00.html

Spinach Artichoke Dip
Recipe courtesy Juan-Carlos Cruz
Show:
Calorie Commando
Episode:
Party Hearty

1 box frozen chopped spinach, thawed (wring dry in a towel or ricer)
1 cup light sour cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
8 ounces reduced fat cream cheese, softened
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, plus more as needed
1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained
Carrot sticks, celery sticks or baked tortilla strips, for serving (I use lavasch/flatbread crackers)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Squeeze all excess liquid from spinach, place in a food processor with sour cream, Parmesan, 1/2 cup of the mozzarella, the cream cheese, garlic, pepper and hot sauce.

Process until just blended but still slightly lumpy( I add everything and blend until smooth b/c we have texture issues in this house and 'chunky' just does not fly! :) ). Add artichokes and pulse to form a chunky mixture. Place in a 1-quart baking dish. Top with remaining mozzarella. Bake until bubbly, about 30 minutes. Serve with carrot sticks, celery sticks or baked tortilla strips.
Nutrition Information
Nutritional Analysis per serving
Calories 282
Fat 17 grams
Saturated Fat 11 grams
Carbohydrates 12 grams
Fiber 3 grams