Asiago Garlic Knots

This week feels like it's taking forever! I'm not quite sure why time has so suddenly slowed down, but it is making me feel a little crazy. I woke up this morning thinking (or more like hoping) today was Friday. Hubby kindly reminded me, no it is only Wednesday. Two more long days to go til the weekend!! I'll hang in there if you will too!

Til then, there's these lovely little Asiago Garlic Knots. Grab a package of pre-made pilsbury biscuits and whip up this lovely flavored oil for brushing and you've got yourself a quick, easy and delightful snack to tide you over til Friday. I found the idea on Pinterest and changed it up slightly.

Asiago Garlic Knots
Recipe adapted from Real Mom Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 1 tube pilsbury refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 3 tbsp freshly grated asiago cheese
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried parsley flakes

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Grease a baking sheet and set aside.
2. Roll each piece of biscuit dough into a 12 inch rope and tie in a knot. Place on prepared baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes in preheated oven until golden brown. 
3. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and whisk to combine. When biscuits come out of the oven, brush them with the mixture while still warm.

Easy right? Definitely do-able for a week night that's for sure! Do you have any quick and easy snack recipes you would like to share? Let me know and they may just make an appearance in my future blog posts.

Happy Baking my Friends!

Baked Brie & Pear Feuilletés

I have to apologize... my photos in my next couple of posts are going to leave something to be desired. They are from my Easter dinner and I did not get time to snap many photos... just what I could sneak in with my iPhone while serving my family. So, take it from me - even if my photos aren't beautiful, the recipes are delightful. So read on my friends!

If you're ever in need of a quick, but impressive appetizer, make this yummy Baked Brie & Pear Feuilletes (feuilletes is a french term for any appetizer served on puff pastry in case you're wondering). It tastes amazing and comes together really quickly. Assemble and bake when your guests arrive and they will definitely be impressed. 

Are you ready? Here's how easy this is:

Baked Brie & Pear Feuilletes

Recipe adapted from ziplist.com

Ingredients:

• two sheets puff pastry, thawed
• 1 ripe pear, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup pecan halves
• 4 oz brie (with rind on)
• freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Roll out the first sheet of puff pastry then place on the baking tray. Repeat with the second piece (should be about 1/4 inch thick). Sprinkle with half the brie, then arrange the pear slices artfully on top. Sprinkle with the pecans and then the remainder of the brie. Top with a bit of fresh ground pepper.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until the puff pastry is golden brown and the cheese is melted, about 15-20 minutes.

Yep, thats it. While your guests are enjoying their first glass of wine, your house will be smelling heavenly while this divine appy bakes up.

Give it a try. Your guests will thank you. :)

This post has been linked up with the Recipe Party over at the Sweet Spot. Head on over to see what other bloggers baked up this week. :)
Happy Baking my Friends!

Kale Chips {Gluten Free, Healthy}

Kale Chips. Ew gross!!! Thats what I initially thought when people started talking about these things. Then we went over to my good friend D's place for dinner and she had made these to serve to us along with some other delicious menu items. Not one to be rude and not try something when a guest in someone's house, I of course had to give these a try. To my surprise, they were delicious and addictive! Since then I've been craving these all the time. Who knew they were so easy to make?!

I decided to look into the health benefits of kale since I'd heard it was very good for you. Here's what Web MD says about the health benefits of kale:

"One cup of kale contains 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber, and 15% of the daily requirement of calcium and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), 40% of magnesium, 180% of vitamin A, 200% of vitamin C, and 1,020% of vitamin K. It is also a good source of minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus.
Kale’s health benefits are primarily linked to the high concentration and excellent source of antioxidant vitamins A, C, and K -- and sulphur-containing phytonutrients.
Carotenoids and flavonoids are the specific types of antioxidants associated with many of the anti-cancer health benefits. Kale is also rich in the eye-health promoting lutein and zeaxanthin compounds.
Beyond antioxidants, the fiber content of cruciferous kale binds bile acids and helps lower blood cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease, especially when kale is cooked instead of raw."

Since kale is so good for you, you should make these - they taste so good and have many health benefits. You can do all kinds of variations to this recipe depending on your tastes and preferences. But this is a good starting place - basic, quick and flavourful.

Kale Chips
Recipe by Erin (me!)

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch curly green kale, trimmed into bite size pieces (discard the tough stems)
• 1 tbsp grapeseed oil
• kosher salt
• cayenne pepper
• freshly grated parmesan cheese

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Wash kale pieces, then spin in a salad spinner until dry. Place kale pieces into a large bowl. Drizzle with oil and then toss and scrunch leaves with your hands to make sure they are evenly coated with the oil.
3. Spread kale chips onto a large cookie sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle with kosher salt (about 1 - 1 1/2 tsp should do it), and cayenne pepper (no more than 1/2 tsp). Then sprinkle with a small amount of parmesan cheese (about 2 - 4 tbsp).
4. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and stir the chips. Return to the oven and bake another 10 - 12 minutes until chips are crispy. Watch them carefully toward the end as they tend to burn quickly.

Enjoy these! This is one time when its okay to eat the whole batch. :D

This post has been linked up with Mouthwatering Mondays over at the Sweet Spot. Head on over to check out what other delicious treats bloggers have cooked up this week.
Happy Cooking my Friends!

Potato Fish Cakes

Remember that delicious Pan Roasted Halibut in a Potato Dill Crust we made yesterday? Well, here is a perfect recipe to use up the leftovers. We all know leftover fish never tastes good like it did when it was first cooked. But this recipe turns leftover fish and leftover mashed potatoes into something fresh, crisp and delicious!! It was no problem getting hubby to eat leftovers when I served them to him like this. :)

Potato Fish Cakes
Inspired by Chef at Home - by Michael Smith

Ingredients:

• 4 pieces leftover pan roasted halibut
• a couple cups of leftover roasted garlic mashed potatoes (or regular would work too)
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 eggs, whisked together
• 1 tbsp hot sweet mustard
• 1/4 cup fresh dill, finely minced
• 1 red jalepeno pepper, seeded and finely diced
• 1 recipe potato dill crust from yesterdays Pan Roasted Halibut in a Potato Dill Crust
• a couple tbsp butter
• a couple lugs of olive oil

Method:

1. Preheat saute pan or non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add a splash of oil to the pan and a tbsp of butter to coat the bottom of the skillet with a thin film.
2. With a potato masher, mash the leftover halibut and the potatoes with the eggs, mustard, dill, jalepeno pepper until combined. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper.
3. Prepare potato dill crust. Using approximately 1/4 cup portions of the potato fish mixture, shape into patties. Dredge in the potato dill crust mixture until well coated. Add to hot skillet and fry until bottom is golden and crisp. Flip and repeat on the other side.
4. Repeat until all cakes are cooked. Serve with lemon dill cream or leftover roasted garlic cream sauce from yesterdays recipe.

These are so unbelievably delicious! I couldn't get over how good they were. I never ever eat leftover fish, but going forward, I will always make an exception for this recipe. You can also use salmon or other types of fish in this recipe. You can mix up the herbs or omit the spicy pepper depending on your tastes. Be creative and cook what you like!

Happy Cooking my Friends!

The Savvy Kitchen's Pizza Bites & Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzels for SRC

After a long month off, we're back on schedule for the Secret Recipe Club! And I couldn't be more excited. This month I was assigned The Savvy Kitchen. The Savvy Kitchen is written by Amy and its a great place to find easy and delicious recipes - with a wide array of types of dishes! And since her parents are italian, she's got some great pasta recipes on there that I can't wait to try out when I have time. I loved her blog so much that I decided to make two recipes to share with you today.

First up I made these delicious pepperoni pizza puffs. They're a quick and easy appetizer and even your fussiest guest is sure to dive right into! Sorry for the quality of the pizza puff photos - we were so excited to eat them that these are the only photos I managed to snap before they were devoured.

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs
Recipe from The Savvy Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 cup shredded mozza
• 1 cup pepperoni, cut into small pieces
• 1 small can pizza sauce for dipping

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a 24 cup mini muffin pan with non-stick spray. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder. Whisk in the milk, eggs and seasonings. Then gently stir in the mozza and the pepperoni. Let stand for 10 minutes.
2. Stir the batter, then divide among the prepared mini muffin cups. Fill almost to the top, then bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until puffed and golden. Serve with pizza sauce for dipping and try not to eat the whole batch in one sitting!! (good luck with that!!)

Those were such a hit in our house (we eagerly sat around the coffee table, devouring these until they were all gone!!), that I decided to try out another recipe from Amy's blog - this time something sweet.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites
Recipe from The Savvy Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 80 mini pretzels
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method:

1. Line large baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper.
2. Beat peanut butter, powdered sugar and vanilla in a bowl until smooth and creamy. Roll peanut butter into 1/2 inch balls and place in the center of 40 of the mini pretzels. Top each one with another mini pretzel, pressing down slightly to sandwich the icing between the pretzels. Once all pretzel bites are formed, place in the freezer for about 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in the microwave on low, stirring often so the chocolate doesn't burn. Remove the pretzels from the freezer and dip each one into the melted chocolate. Place each chocolate covered pretzel onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to one week.

These were soooo addictive and delicious! We couldn't stop eating them. I'm afraid to make another batch in case I eat all of them too. But make these for a party - they're easy and quick and guests will devour them. :)

I'm so excited about finding Amy's blog! Its wonderful and I can't wait to venture back and try out some more of her recipes. They're so down to earth and low maintenance to make, which is a nice change of pace from some of the stuff I often find myself making. So, if you haven't already checked out The Savvy Kitchen, do it! I'll still be here when you come back.

And lastly, check out the blog hop below - it is a round up of all the other SRC Group C participants this month. Everyone always does a great job choosing and making delicious recipes and then in turn featuring the blog they were assigned.

Happy Baking my Friends!

Mini Meatloaf Bites

Hey Peeps! I know, I know, its been a couple days since I last posted! Today I'm blogging from my little ol' home town in Northern British Columbia. I'm up for a quick weekend visit and managed to find some time to get this post together. :)

I made these cute little mini meatloaf bites for our Super Bowl party last weekend, but they would be cute to make for any gathering you're having at your place. You could even make these in regular sized muffin tins for a cute dinner party main as well. Use a mini muffin pan for appetizer size though so people can eat them in a bite or two! I found the inspiration for these on the blog First Look Then Cook but I used my own recipes for meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Have a look at her photos because hers are far prettier than mine - my photos snapped from my iPhone just don't do these justice (it also doesn't help that I had probably consumed more than my fair share of super bowl beverages before attempting to put these together..!!). But they were delish! And super cute.

Meatloaf Bites

Recipe minimally adapted from the Girl Can't Cook

Ingredients:

•  3/4 lb lean ground beef
• 3/4 lb ground pork
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 loves garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1/2 up hickory bbq sauce (plus extra for brushing after wards)
• 1 tbsp worcestershire
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp basil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 cup parmesan
• mashed potatoes
• bacon bits

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a medium sautee pan, sautee onion and garlic with olive oil until softened, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
3. In a large bowl mix together beef, pork and bread crumbs with your hands. Mix in sauteed vegetables, BBQ sauce, worcestershire, egg, basil, salt, peper and parmesan until uniformly mixed. Press scoopfulls of meat mixture into a mini muffin pan. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until cooked through.
4. Prepare mashed potatoes (I make mine with butter, whipping cream, salt and pepper. Make them wetter than you normally do, so you can easily pipe them onto the meatloaves).
5. Brush each mini meatloaf with BBQ sauce. Pipe mashed potatoes on top of each mini meatloaf, then sprinkle with bacon bits.

Hope you enjoy this one! We didn't have many leftovers because these were eaten so quickly when I put them out. Enjoy the last day of the weekend!

This post was linked up with Mouth Watering Mondays over at the Sweet Spot. Head over there ASAP to check out all the linky deliciousness going on this week. :)

Happy Cooking my Friends!

Individual Seven Layer Dips with Homemade Salsa

During one of my tireless google searches for cute Superbowl appetizers, I came across these adorable individual seven layer dips on The Girl Who Ate Everything. These are perfect appetizers and party snacks for any kind of get together, especially a game day party or a summer BBQ. They're perfect because they prevent double dipping and you avoid that unappetizing mess that most seven layer dips turn into after a few people have dished themselves out a serving. These have a wow factor to them that make you look like you put a lot more work into them than you did!! So what are you waiting for? Plan on making these for your next party - you and your guests will love them. :)

I only made mine with five layers because I don't like veggies on top of my seven layer dip, but you can add green onions, tomatoes and olives if you want. My layers were as follows:

Refried beans - straight out of the can
Guacamole - this is a good recipe
Sour Cream - mix sour cream with some taco seasoning to taste
Salsa - recipe below
Cheddar Cheese - I used Tillamook Sharp Cheddar, but Pepper Jack would also be delicious
Garnish - I garnished with a tortilla chip

I piped in all of the layers except the salsa and the cheese using a freezer bag with the corner snipped off. Its far less messy and your layers will be prettier!

I am slightly concerned that this salsa recipe isn't going to get the attention it deserves because I've lumped it in with this seven layer dip recipe. But if you only try one thing from this post, try making the salsa - its quick - you can make it in under 5 minutes and it tastes soooo delicious. It is the closest to mexican restaurant salsa I've ever tasted and I LOOOOVVVVEEEEE that stuff. I found this recipe on Mountain Momma Cooks. I only changed the recipe a little because it was honestly such a delicious sounding recipe on its own!!

Speedy Salsa
Recipe minimally adapted from Mountain Momma Cooks

Ingredients:

• 2 14-oz cans of fire roasted, diced tomatoes
• 1/2 small onion, roughly chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 jalepeno, seeded and roughly chopped (leave the seeds in if you like additional heat)
• 1 tsp honey
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• large handful cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
• juice of 1 lime

Method:

1. Combine all ingredients in the large bowl of a food processor and pulse until your salsa reaches the desired consistency. I like mine quite finely minced, but you could pulse it for a very short time for a chunkier salsa.

Yep, thats it!! So easy and flavourful. Do you have a favorite salsa recipe or do you put something unexpected in your seven layer dip? I'd love to hear what you do!

Happy Cooking my Friends!

Super Bowl Recap

I hosted a small Super Bowl gathering at my place tonight. I made enough to feed an army... but isn't that always the way? I'm going to keep this post short because I will go into more details regarding some of these items in posts later this week. :) For now though, just a preview of what is to come this week - just some quick photos I snapped with my iPhone.

 As you can see in the photo above, I made some football themed chocolate dipped strawberries. Not perfect, but they're cute! And easy!

Cute little mini meatloaf bites - mini meat loaf brushed with bbq sauce with creamy mashed potatoes piped on top and then sprinkled with bacon. These were a hit! Recipe will for sure be posted this week, so definitely check back soon.



These were the strawberries, post dip, but pre-decorating. They look beautiful as is, but it was fun to do the extra step just in keeping in theme with the Super Bowl/ football thing!

Then I made some individual seven layer dips (but mine only had 5 layers because I'm fussy and don't really like veggies on top of my dips!! They were delicious. I made salsa (again, recipe will follow this week) and guacamole for these bad boys and topped with some Tillamook Sharp Cheddar and they were a hit.

Also made a couple of other things tonight that I didn't manage to snap some photos of with my iPhone. Made an amazing Reese's Peanut Butter & Oreo Frozen Pie (recipe will be up this week... sooner rather than later because it was sooooo good!) that was an absolute hit!

And the favorite cocktail of the night was Raspberry Beer Cocktail. Check out this easy recipe here.

Oh yeah, and we had some spectacular weather this weekend! So I got out with the dog on Saturday morning at one of our local parks and enjoyed it (yep, that pic is from our walk).

Oh yeah, congrats to the NY Giants on their win! They played hard and it was definitely a nail-biter toward the end of the game... I totally thought New England would pull through for the win, but I guess it wasn't in the cards this year. Sorry to any of you New England fans out there!!

What did you make for your Super Bowl get together? Do you make the same thing every year, or do you try to mix it up?  I would love to hear from you!

Happy Baking my Friends!

Creamy Spinach Dip

Alright folks - listen up: there is less than one month left until the Super Bowl!! Now, I am not really a huge football fan... I am more into the social aspects of the whole football thing, but the one thing I do know about football related events is my job at said events. My job when it comes to football and the Super Bowl is very important - I am the party planner, menu planner and chef extraordinaire!! So, my apologies to those of you who don't get caught up in the hype of the whole football thing, but leading up to the Super Bowl, there will likely be a lot of party dishes and appetizer ideas posted here... just sayin'!

But really, who can have enough appetizer recipes? I sure can't; I'm always bookmarking something for a later date or far off occasion. Sooo I'm sure you can put these recipes to good use regardless of whether you're into the Super Bowl hype or not.

I made this spinach dip for Christmas eve this year and it was a hit. I've made it many times and someone always asks for the recipe. So I'm going to share it with you! A little secret - its dead easy. So here we go:

Creamy Spinach Dip
Recipe minimally adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients:

• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup sour cream (recipe calls for fat free, but I always use full fat)
• 1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan, divided
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 2 (8 oz) blocks cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and thoroughly drained

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine 1 1/2 cups mozza, sour cream, 2 tbsp parmesan, pepper, garlic, artichoke hearts, cream cheese and spinach. Mix until evenly blended. Turn mixture out into baking dish and level mixture into an even layer. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozza and 2 tbsp parmesan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Serve with fresh bread, crostini or tortilla chips for dipping. Consume while hot.

Mmmmmm.... lets all pause while we drool over this picture of creamy, spinach goodness!! This recipe originally called for using low fat everything - feel free to do that when you make it, but I never use low fat ingredients when I'm entertaining and this is no exception. In my experience, the full fat version ALWAYS tastes better!! But I do realize that some of us have resolutions to keep, so don't worry, I won't judge and your guests likely won't notice the subtle difference.

This post has been linked up with Jane Deere's Fusion Fridays Link Party! Stop by to check out what other creations my fellow bloggers have posted in Fusion Fridays. You won't be disappointed. :)

Happy Baking my Friends! Thanks for stopping by. :)

Holiday Recipe Roundup!

Its that time of year again! The time when you have to host the obligatory Christmas cocktail party, family dinner, or bring a salad or side dish to someone else's house. This post will give you some great ideas for menu planning. I've included a selection of Appetizers & Snacks, Sides, Mains, and of course Desserts/ Holiday Baking. Lets get started!

Appetizers & Snacks

• Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas
• Roasted Garlic & Feta Walnut Dip
• Ultimate Chicken Wings with Curry Lime Butter
• Smoked Salmon Canapes
• Spinach & Date Filo Triangles
• Italian Stuffed Mushrooms
• Rosemary Parmesan Coins
• Hot Crab & Artichoke Dip
• Addictive Rosemary Pecans
• Sauteed Mushrooms on Crostini
• Boconcini Tied with Proscuitto
• Chutney Baked Brie
• Filo Wrapped Baked Brie
• Herbed Goat Cheese Bites

 Side Dishes

• Blackberry & Avocado Salad
• Salad with Strawberries, Feta & Homemade Croutons
• Best Stuffing Ever
• Golden Mashed Potato Casserole
• Vegetable Gratin
• Salad with Pears, Candied Pecans & Goat Cheese

 Mains

• Pork Tenderloin with Maple Onion Cream
• Delicious Turkey & Gravy
• Red Wine & Balsamic Roasted Chicken
• Roast Beef

Dessert & Holiday Baking

• Ginger Spice Sandwich Cookies with Lemon Cream Filling
• Gingerbread Cupcakes with Carmelized Mango Buttercream
• Cranberry Pear Linzer Tart
• Maple Pecan Shortbread
• Peanut Butter Cups
• Toblerone Cheesecake
• Christmas Stollen
• Gingerbread Biscotti
• Easy Oreo Truffles
• Eggnog Pudding
• Chocolate Tea Cakes with Earl Grey Icing

I hope this helps you find some great ideas for your holiday menu planning! These recipes have been hits at past gatherings for me, so I know you'll love them.

Happy Baking my Friends!

Healthy Eating for Ordinary People's Roasted Chickpeas for SRC

 Whew!! Seems like every month I'm surprised when this deadline creeps up on me, but it is time for the Secret Recipe Club reveal again. You can imagine my dismay when this afternoon I got the reminder that my post had to be up tomorrow morning... whoops! Hadn't even made my dish yet. This is not to say I haven't been considering what to make because I've been browsing through Rivki's blog Healthy Eating for Ordinary People periodically since it was assigned to me. I really, really wanted to make griddle bread... but totally ran out of time today. So I quickly browsed Rivki's blog this afternoon and found this yummy recipe for Roasted Chickpeas.

I was pretty stoked to find such a delicious recipe for chickpeas on Rivki's blog! I was a little nervous about being assigned her blog at first because it looked sooooo healthy! I am not a huge fan of all veggies and there are a LOT of veggies on her blog. I was pleasantly surprised to find "normal" food on her blog! And plenty of delicious looking recipes like this Raspberry Peach Tart, Roasted Peaches, and these Lemon Mint Zucchini Pancakes to name a few!  You should definitely stop by and check it out next time you're looking for a healthy way to incorporate some fresh veggies into your diet.

 Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas
Recipe adapted from Healthy Eating for Ordinary People

Ingredients:

• 2 cans chickpeas
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp spicy curry dip mix (or any mixture of curry powder, cumin, coriander, a touch of cinnamon or garam masala would work too)
• coarse salt to taste

Method:

1. Rinse and drain chickpeas in a strainer. Spread chickpeas on a clean dish towel in a single layer. Let dry for 15 minutes, moving around periodically to ensure all sides of the chickpeas are dry.
2. While your chickpeas are drying, preheat your oven to 400F.
3. Once chickpeas are dry, place them in a medium bowl, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with curry spices and coarse salt. Toss to coat.
4. Spread seasoned chickpeas in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes stirring three times during the cooking time. Chickpeas will be nicely browned and crunchy. Let cool and enjoy!

 So easy right?! And unbelievably delicious. Thanks Rivki for such a delicious and simple recipe.

If you're interested in the Secret Recipe Club, check out their webpage here! I love being a part of the Secret Recipe Club. It is such a fun way to find new blogs and experience new things. Thanks Amanda for starting up such an awesome club. :)

Happy Cooking My Friends!

Roasted Garlic & Feta Walnut Dip with Toasted Flat Bread

I've been complaining all summer about how bad the weather has been... now, in the first week of September we get 30 degree weather alllll week! Its beautiful, but it feels super hot compared to what we've had. Our townhouse heats up super fast when I turn on the oven, so this is a great option when you don't want to heat yourself out of your house on a hot summer day (assuming you've got roasted garlic on hand already)!

I probably wouldn't have tried this recipe if Hubby hadn't asked me to! I'm not a huge fan of feta and this dip sounded so weird, but he picked it out, so I made it for him and ended up loving it!

Roasted Garlic & Feta Walnut Dip with Toasted Flat Bread
Recipe adapted from Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals 2

Ingredients:

• 2 heads garlic, top 1/4 inch cut off, 1 large clove reserved
• 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling
• 1 cup walnut halves, toasted
• 1 1/2 cups feta cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 cup fresh flat-leave parsley
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 4 flat breads or pitas, cut into wedges and toasted

Method:

1. Preheat oven or toaster oven to highest setting. Drizzle heads of garlic with about 1 tsp olive oil each, then double wrap the garlic bulbs in foil. Roast 25 mins in the oven.
2. Combine 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, walnuts, feta, milk, oregano, parsley, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and garlic clove in food processor and pulse until smooth. Add more olive oil or milk if dip doesn't come together smoothly. Scrape into serving dish with spatula, drizzle with olive oil.
3. Remove garlic from oven, and turn off heat. Arrange triangles of cut pita or flat bread on a small, heat-resistanttray or cookie sheet. Place bread into the hot oven (or you can use your toaster oven to keep the house cool!!!). The bread will be warmed through and lightly toasted in five minutes.
4. Serve with feta walnut dip and soft, sweet roasted garlic for spreading.

 Ohhhhh so good!! I can't wait to make this again. I think Huby and I each ate one whole head of roasted garlic... next time I would make more roasted garlic. :) Such sweet, carmelized goodness. Definitely a weird sounding dip, but the flavours really work to create a delicious, unique starter.

Happy Cooking my Friends!

Gourmet Guacamole

Alright, alright! I've been a bad blogger once again this week. This busy life just doesn't jive with getting a few posts done on crazy weeknights when I should be studying for my upcoming exam or walking the dog with hubby, or cleaning up the house... the list goes on and on!! Oh well, such is life right? I'll get around here while I can over the next two weeks, so please bear with me.

Last night my sister and I attended a fantastic cooking class called Hello Cupcake! at Well Seasoned in Langley. The class was taught by pastry chef Tina Bacon of the Pink Spatula and boy was she ever incredible. I learned so much that I'm going to share a separate post with you so that I can give the course the attention it deserves. Stay tuned for that... I'm hoping to get it posted some time this weekend.

For now, we'll talk about guacamole - simple, delicious and fresh - to me it screams summer. Topped with some vibrant radishes (or whatever you have on hand) it is absolutely delicious. I found this recipe just by doing a random google search for gourmet guacamole and I adapted it a bit to my taste. Guacamole is one of those things that you can put in what you like, omit what you don't and just mix it up and it will always be delicious! Two staple ingredients for me when making guacamole (other than the avocados of course) are lime juice and kosher salt. Even just those two ingredients, mixed with avocado results in a delicious yummy appetizer dip that you can whip up in minutes.

Gourmet Guacamole

Recipe adapted from www.guacamolerecipe.net

Ingredients:

• two ripe avocados, mashed with a fork


• a couple tsp of mayonnaise (to desired level of creaminess - I only used two)


• one garlic clove, minced


• fresh cilantro, finely chopped


• one jalepeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped


• 1 tsp ground cumin


• kosher salt to taste


• lime juice (add until dip reaches desired consistency)


• black pepper to taste


• contrasting coloured veggies for garnish and dipping

Method:

1. This is so easy I probably don't even need to explain! Combine all ingredients in medium sized bowl. Stir until smooth and combined. Chill until ready to serve.


2. Serve with fresh veggies (if you're feeling virtuous) or tortilla chips.

Nothing much else going on around here... I have to get my act together and finish up my post for the June Daring Bakers Challenge - check back on the 27th to find out what we dared to bake this month!

Other than that, have a wonderful Friday tomorrow friends. I am stuck in a course all weekend to further my accounting education... so its not looking like the most exciting weekend. I will have to live vicariously through you! What are you doing for excitement this weekend?

Happy Cooking my Friends!

The Ultimate Chicken Wings with Curry-Lime Butter

Looking for a quick and easy appetizer recipe with a bit of gourmet flair? Try this recipe for Chicken Wings with Curry-Lime Butter! You could also serve the wings with some rice and salad and you'd have yourself a nice and easy week night dinner! This recipe makes a lot of chicken wings - like enough to feed an army, but the good news is that the recipe is easy to half so feel free to give that a try if you don't want to be eating a million and one chicken wings in one sitting.

This recipe is from Tyler Florence's book Tyler's Ultimate. He has so many delicious recipes... and one of the best parts is how he always opts to use really fresh, not-processed ingredients. It always makes me feel so great to know that the ingredients I'm putting in my food aren't full of processed chemicals and preservatives.

The Ultimate Chicken Wings with Curry-Lime Butter
Recipe from Tyler's Ultimate

Ingredients:

• 4 lbs whole chicken wings


• extra-virgin olive oil


• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper


• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened


• 2 tsp thai red curry paste


• zest and juice of one lime


• 1 tbsp honey


• splash of soy sauce


• cilantro leaves for garnish

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 425F.


2. Rinse the wings under cool water and pat dry. Put the wings in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil, season well with salt and pepper, then toss to coat. Spread the wings out on a baking sheet and roast for 25-30 minutes, until the skin gets crisp and brown and the meat is tender.


3. While you wait, throw the butter, curry paste, lime zest and juice, honey and soy sauce into a blender or food processor. Season with salt and blend to mix. Scrape the curry-lime butter into a big bowl. When the wings come out of the oven, slide them right into the bowl with the butter. Give them a toss to coat them evenly and you're done. Scatter the cilantro leaves on top and serve.

And its that easy to have deliciously flavoured chicken wings not from a box or a restaurant! These wings have such a unique and delicious flavour, I promise you won't be disappointed. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did! I can't wait to make it again.

Happy Cooking my Friends!