Sesame Almond Butter Radishes

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Sesame Almond Butter radishes

A friend of mine from the South came to a party recently with a platter full of radishes and a small bowl of peanut butter. “What the . . .?” said I. “We dip them and then crunch on them whole,” was her reply. “I’m from the South. It doesn’t have to make sense.” I was astonished, to say the least.

The idea just seemed heinous to me – radishes dipped in peanut butter. That is, until I tried them.

The richness of the peanut butter and the peppery bite of the radishes are a heavenly match. So, so lovely.

I decided to do my own spin, of course. Hey! I’m a food blogger. That’s what I do! So, I tired several nut butters and my favorite is almond butter. If you warm the almond butter, it gets more liquid and is easier to dip. (NOTE: if your almond butter doesn’t behave and thin out like it should, stir in a splash of cream – just enough to thin it, not too much to dilute the flavor.)

You must choose a really great almond butter for this recipe. I like MaraNatha No Stir Roasted Almond Butter, mostly because that extra “roasted” touch is wonderful and give the almond butter a deep flavor.

I also decided that some sort of seeds would go well as a coating – and so I rolled the dipped radishes in roasted sesame seeds. AAaaahhhhh! The perfect bite!

The next time you go to a summer party – take along a huge platter these fabulous DIY noshes, and I promise you will get raves all around!  They are perfect as a starter bit or just on the side of your plate for the meal. You don’t have to keep the leaves on – I did that just for the photo drama. Again, I’m a food blogger. It’s what I do!

Aren’t you happy that summer is here???

— posted by Donna

Spinach Souffle Hash Brown Nests

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Surprise mom with these easy spinach souffle bites for brunch on Mother’s Day.
Spinach Souffle Hash Brown Nests

Don’t you just love recipes that make it look like you have slaved for hours but in reality take only minutes to put together? These spinach souffle bites do exactly that. They are so, well Martha like – so pretty on a platter.

Brunch is my favorite meal – what’s better than spending a leisurely morning with friends or family and excellent food? I can’t think of a single thing.

That’s why I am a fan of Mother’s Day brunch. Gone are the days when my kids “surprise” me with breakfast in bed. Burnt toast. Rubbery eggs. A dandelion garnish. A mom’s pay day! But now that my kids are all grown, my mom’s day treat of choice is brunch.

These are the perfect brunch bite – creamy eggs and spinach in the middle with a crispy crunchy hash brown shell. This is two bites of heaven!

A whole dozen of these takes only a few minutes of prep time and will earn you huge oooh’s and aaah’s from mom.

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Spinach Souffle Hash brown Nests
 
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Mother's Day is coming up - and these easy spinach souffle bites make you look like a chef!
Author:
Recipe type: Brunch
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • For potato crust:
  • 2 cups grated Russet potato
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • For the souffle:
  • 10 ounces box of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
  • 3 eggs, separated
  • ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • ¼ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
  2. Brush a 12-muffin tin with oil.
  3. Place the russet potato in a thin kitchen towel and squeeze liquid from the potatoes. Press the grated potato shreds into the muffin tins in a thin layer, forming a potato crust. Brush the tops of the potato crust with oil. Baker at top of oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown.
  4. Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees.
  5. Whip the egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks. Mix together in a mixing bowl the spinach, egg yolks, cheese and nutmeg. Fold in the egg whites. Spoon the spinch mixture into the potato nests. Bake for 15 to 18 inutes, until set in centers.

other spinach brunch dishes:

Mushroom Spinach Strata, Whipped
Hashbrown, Spinach and Tomato Pie, Diethood
Strawberry Spinach Salad, Jeanette’s Healthy Living

Hand Held Chicken Caesar Salads with Real Anchovy Caesar Dressing

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Hand held caesar salads

Hand held Caesar salads are made with baby romaine leaves and they are the perfect buffet item for a spring feast. You just pick them up and eat them just like you would Asian lettuce wraps – but less messy. And more garlic-y.

I started out to make a REAL Caesar dressing – just because I read the label on my purchased dressing and couldn’t pronounce half of the ingredients. I turned to America’s Test Kitchen, an organization that has taught me so much, with recipes and culinary history that I trust. My well- worn The New Best Recipes cookbook in my kitchen is my proof.

I followed their recipe very precisely – and it did not disappoint. The dressing is what makes this recipe sing – so creamy and tart you  will want to eat it with a spoon. Not that I’m saying I did that. Ok, I did that.

When I could only find a package of baby romaine leave sin my grocery store, this idea hit me: make a hand-held salad. This works great for a party – or for the kind of group I have on most Sundays: big, come and go groups.

Happy Brunch Easter Week, everyone!

— posted by Donna

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Spinach Souffle Hash Brown Nests

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Spinach Souffle Hash Brown Nests

Saint Patrick Day at the Kelly house starts with breakfast. Green breakfast, naturally.

I love these little crunchy hash brown nests with spinach soufflés in the center. Crunchy and soft and pillowy all in one bite!

When I was a newlywed, I was excited to have a new Irish last name. So, I went all out. Green pancakes. Green orange juice. Green syrup. Green scrambled eggs. But now I go more for food that is not just colored – not just a few drops of green in non-green food. Now I go more for naturally green food.

Take these little souffle nests, for example. Pretty green – naturally.easy spinach recipe

These are great for breakfast, of course, but also good as a side dish or as an appetizer.

So pretty on plate!

— posted by Donna

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Crowd Pleaser Grilled Shrimp Guacamole Tostada Bites

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Grilled Shrimp Guacamole Tostada BitesTwo of my favorite things are grilled shrimp and guacamole – combined here in a cute little package. Who wouldn’t want a whole platter of these sitting on a coffee table within arm’s reach on Game Day? Or pretty much any day?

These little bites can be thrown together in just minutes. You could make the recipe even easier if you used purchased guacamole and round tortilla chips. I used flour tortillas cut into circles and then sprayed lightly with oil and baked for a few minutes. Super easy = Super Bowl, no?

And who doesn’t love guacamole? Make our roasted guac, or use your own favorite recipe. Guacamole is one of those things that I rarely make the same way twice. Really hard to mess up! After I made these, the hubs and I ate the WHOLE platter for dinner. These are crowd pleasers, for sure. Consider yourself warned!

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Baked Curly Fries for Superbowl Sunday

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baked curly friesI’m hosting my first ever Sportsball Party this weekend, so of course I’m most looking forward to the food. Lucky me, I just got a spiffy new addition to my kitchen gadget collection, the Paderno Spiralizer. Along with making oodles of zoodles, the first thing I looked forward to making was a baked version of a curly fry. The widest setting on the Paderno was perfect for this! It worked with both sweet and regular potatoes, and I plan to experiment with other root vegetables in the future. Perfect lighter fare for your game day plans, whatever other decadence is served alongside them. …

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Roasted Garlic Guacamole Bar

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Roasted Garlic Guacamole Bar

There is no such thing as the “perfect” guacamole recipe. And everyone likes their guacamole a certain way. Onions/no onions. Cilantro /greens free. Lime or Lemon? That’s why a guacamole bar is genius for Game Day or other gatherings.

To me, guacamole is one of those dishes that is – and should be – a unique creation every single time. My guacamole depends on my mood, the occasion, who the eaters are, and what is in my fridge and pantry. Avocados are good for you and have such a mild, creamy texture that they pair well with, well, pretty much anything.

I have used the basic recipe of Rick Bayless, a south-of-the-border anthropologist/chef I admire. Hat tip to you, Chef Bayless – the addition of roasted garlic is genius!

Just set this out in a bowl surrounded with toppings and let everyone scoop up the guacamole onto chips and then sprinkle with toppings of choice: diced cilantro, diced red bell peppers or jalapeno chiles, sliced green onions, crumbled queso fresco, grated pepper jack, pepitos (toasted pumpkin seeds), etc., etc.

Arriba! Arriba!

— posted by Donna

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Un-Rolled Eggroll Stacks

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Wonton squares – not just for making wontons anymore.

Unrolled eggrolls

Unrolled Eggrolls – in pretty stacks.

Egg rolls. UNrolled. And in pretty little stacks. These little stacks are a unique way of making egg rolls – with less fat and less hassle than making old school eggrolls. They are just plain FUN to make.

And there are so many possibilities coming up for festive foods: You could make these for upcoming Game Day treats. You could make these for Chinese New Year on February 2. You could make them for Valentine’s Day. I made them to take a walk down memory lane with my sweetie. And just because he deserves them.

You see, there are at least two things I love about Chinese restaurants: egg rolls and fortune cookies. I have had many fortune cookie prophesies fulfilled in my life. No, really. My favorite was right after I was engaged to my sweetheart in 1976. We went to a Chinese restaurant to celebrate and my fortune proclaimed: “You are doomed to be happy in wedlock.” I still have that little strip tucked away in a scrapbook. And that prophesy has been exactly right so far: 37 years of wedded bliss and counting. My marriage is the best thing about my life. By far. Nothing else even comes close. Jim makes me laugh every single day. And think. And weep. And be a better person. I still perk up every single time he walks into the room!

So, just between us, Chinese food is always a special unstated celebration food for us. We love being reminded that we are “doomed” to be happy!

I decided Jim deserved some egg rolls today. But simpler. And prettier.

I used the Nasoya brand and I love them – they never stick together and bake up golden and crispy and light. Baking instead of deep frying saves calories, fat and increases the crunch factor of wonton squares. I baked the wonton squares after brushing them lightly with just a touch of oil until they were brown and crunchy.Then, I just made shrimp eggroll filling and layered it all in cute little stacks. Cinchy!

Here’s to you, Jim. I’m so glad we have eternity together. One lifetime is not nearly enough.

Eggroll Stacks

 — posted by Donna

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Fried Black Eyed Peas for a Happy New Year!

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Surprisingly delicious fried black eyed peas!

Fried Black Eyed Peas

It’s not too late to have a happier New Year!

Really, it’s not too late. Black Eyed Peas are a traditional food in the south and the tradition is that they will bring you luck in the new year.

The tradition started during the Civil War. In those times, black eyed peas were grown only to feed livestock and slaves, and so the Northern army left these fields alone (no pillaging or burning). So, Southerners were “lucky” to have black eyed beans to eat even when other crops were destroyed. So, the humble bean became a hero.

I watched an episode on Food Network where my culinary crush Alton Brown described eating deep fried black eyed peas. And, yes, in case you were wondering, I do have a poster of my crush Alton hanging in my pantry. He loved the “ca-woosh” of crunching down on them and the crispy salty exterior with the soft creamy interior.

I am not normally a fan of these legumes, but after I saw this I just HAD to make these for New Years’ Day.

I must say they are a hassle to make but SO worth it. The crispy crunch is delightful and the flavor is superb when these beans are tossed with salt and Old Bay. DO make these and you will forget all about luck and get lost enjoying a big ole bowl with your lucky friends and family.

Happy 2015 to us all!

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Five Ingredient Cranberry Pistachio Goat Cheese Bites

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Festive appetizers in five minutes flat!

Cranberry Goat Cheese BItes

I love that during the holiday season we make and eat such festive foods!

These little goat cheese bites are perfect on any holiday buffet – they are tart and creamy on the inside and sweet and crunchy on the outside. And with just five ingredients, they come together in just minutes.

Just take a tablespoon of the cheese mixture and roll it and chill it and then roll in pistachios and cranberries. That’s it. Really!

Happy Holly Days, y’all !

CRANBERRY PISTACHIO GOAT CHEESE BITES

4 ounces goat cheese, at room temperature
2 tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature
Dash of cayenne pepper sauce
3 tablespoons minced pistachios
1/4 cup diced dried cranberries

Mix together the goat cheese, cream cheese and cayenne pepper sauce. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll into bakes that are 1 heaping tablespoon each.

Spread pistachios and cranberries on a plate. Chill for 30 minutes.

Serve with skewers.

Other easy holiday apps worth checking out:

Five Easy Holiday Appetizers, Eating Made Easy
25+ Easy Low Carb Holiday Dishes, Kalyn’s Kitchen
100+ Easy Holiday Appetizers, Jeanette’s Healthy Living
5 Holiday Appetizers with 5 Ingredients or Less, Foodie Crush
Bacon Wrapped Shrimp Appetizer, Cookin Canuck