Category — Appetizers

Hello Dears.   

I wish I had lots of time to tell you about my hectic week, but I don’t.  How about I just give you the highlights?

Interesting Reading:  My Hubby thinks he knows a thing or two about food blogs.  Actually, he claims to know very little about food, but is writing a series of articles titled How To Write the Best Damn Food Blog on the Net.  Confused?  I was at first too, but then I started reading it and it’s supremely interesting.  He might not know a lot about food blogs, but he does know an awful lot about writing.  So, if you are a food blogger, or actually any type of blogger who is interested in being better at what you do, you should consider taking a look over there.

Rock Band:  A new game that I want to play with all my friends as much as possible.  I’ve had company a lot over the last few nights.  And we are having SO much fun!  With this game you can play guitar, bass guitar, drums, and sing.  We all take turns and I totally rock at singing (NOT!).  Anyhow, it’s a lot of fun and it’s keeping me from my regularly scheduled duties.  Like posting here.  I knew you’d understand though. 

Which leads me to today’s snackies.

Rock Star Pizza Quesadillas.  You can eat these on the road.  Dude.  They’re portable.  And they wipe off the drumsticks real easy like.  I’m going to go ahead and give you the recipe now, so as I can get back to practice.  They’re already hollering for me to come play!

I’m kicking everyone out tomorrow so that I can actually do a proper post for Saturday Sides.  Until then, it’s party like a Rock Star with these ooey-gooey Italian inspired Quesadillas.  If you wanted to, you could get really fancy and add some sauteed onion and a handful of mushrooms, too.  I didn’t do that, though, mainly because it might have taken me an extra 45 seconds or something.  And I was in a hurry.  These are fast, easy, and scrumptious.  So go make some!  Go on . . . I’ll just play one more song while you whip ‘em up.

Rockstar Pizza Quesadillas

Adapted from Recipezaar

1 cup pizza sauce
2 teaspoons butter, softened
4-10 inch flour tortillas
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
4 ounces hard salami, diced
2 ounces pepperoni, diced
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Start out by spreading butter over one side of each tortilla.

Cut up the salami and pepperoni into a small to medium sized dice.  The best stuff to buy is the big slices you get from the deli.  Is goooood.  But, as you can see here, I just used some leftover lunchmeat and pizza pepperoni I had in my fridge.  They work, too.

Put one tortilla, buttered side down in a large saute pan.  Sprinkle with a little less than half the mozzarella cheese.

Top with salami and pepperoni.

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and oregano, then sprinkle another tablespoon (or so) of mozzarella cheese over the top. 

 By adding a small amount of mozzarella on the top it will melt and act like glue.  You’ll need this when you flip these over.  Top with remaining tortillas, buttered side up.  Cook, over medium heat, for 2-3 minutes on each side or until cheese is melted.  Flipping these can be a bit of a challenge.  I grab one side with tongs and put a large pancake turner under the other side.  Wait until it’s golden brown to turn it (you only want to flip once!).

Remove it from the pan and cut into wedges; serve with warmed pizza sauce.

You all remember Popeye, right?

“I had all I can stand.  I can’t stands no more!”

No. More. Fish.  I can’t stands no more!  Except for one small problem.  I said I would make one fish recipe a week during lent.  And I just counted, and there are 10 days of Lent left.  Crap. 

I’m really trying.  Fish is o.k., I just don’t want to eat it once a week, ya know?  Thank goodness I’m not Catholic.  I just couldn’t deal.  I guess I don’t have the wherewithal.  (I’ve always wanted a reason to type that word:  wherewithal.  Strange word, don’t you think?)

Well, anyhow, since I promised I would make one fish recipe a week, I’m going to follow through.  That’s right.  You can count on me.  I’m trustworthy, honest, and sick to death of fish.  So, I’m going to cheat a bit and make King Crab Puffs.

 That’s not really cheating.  It’s crab, which is seafood, and it’s the same thing as far as the food pyramid is concerned.  Of course, I’m pretty sure chicken, beef, and fish are all the same thing on the food pyramid.  But, let’s not think about that.  Let’s think about cheesy, delectable King Crab Puffs.  Hot from the oven . . . Mmmm.

These are super simple.  They would make a great appetizer, or you can use them like I did and serve them along with soup and salad (we’re having potato soup with our puffs).  And, in a pinch, they count as a fish recipe for Lent. 

It’s kind of interesting how I found this recipe, you see, my Mother in Law is one of the kindest ladies I know.  If your kid is selling something, you really need to seek her out, because you’re pretty much guaranteed a sale.  This is how she ends up with a dozen magazine subscriptions - she buys one from every kid that’s selling magazines.  Recently she brought over her latest stack (she gives them to me, I told you, she’s kind) and it included a publication I’ve never purchased before, Simple and Delicious Magazine.  So far, I’m really impressed with this magazine.  It has good recipes for everyday food that my family will like.  I was able to pull 30-some recipes from one issue that I knew I would be willing to try.  That’s a lot for one magazine, folks!  Anyhow, that’s where this recipe comes from, along with many others recipes I’ll be cooking in upcoming months.  Well, on with it then . . .

King Crab Puffs
Adapted from: Simple and Delicious Magazine

(can be doubled)  As written makes about 2 dozen.
1 can (6 ounces) crabmeat, drained, flaked and cartilage removed
1 large green onion, chopped
1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 400F degrees.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
In small bowl combine crab, green onion, cheese, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard.  Set aside.

In a large saucepan, bring water, butter, and salt to a boil.
Add flour all at once and stir until a smooth ball forms.  Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Continue beating until mixture is smooth and shiny.  Stir in crab mixture.

Drop by teaspoonfuls on baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. 

Remove to wire racks, serve warm.

I’m still working on food for Sunday’s Oscars.  Red Carpet Chicken - check.  Next on the agenda?  Pesto.  Now, I’m going to tell you something - I had never tasted pesto until . . . maybe three months ago?  Yup.  It’s true.  I was a non-believer.  It looked awful green to me and we all know how I feel about green food.  But, I’ve started on a journey to broaden my horizons by challenging my taste buds, and there’s no turning back now.  So, I decided I’d try a little pesto.  And.  I. was. HOOKED.

I do love garlic, olive oil, and basil.  Actually, I really love Italian food, so it didn’t come as much of a suprise that I was completely into pesto.  The first time I tried it I went for the jarred kind (which, obviously, wasn’t half bad).  But, like any good cook will do, as soon as I realized I loved a food, I set out to make it my own.  To make it better.  To conquer pesto. 

So, I started whizzing away with my food processor.  It didn’t take me long to figure out, homemade pesto is some pretty powerful stuff.  Wowza.  For a long time, I wasn’t very happy with my results, and although they were more than edible, I felt like I needed a gas mask and a sign to go around my neck saying “Caution.  Garlic Cloud.”  I mean, my friends were all like “No offense, ya know, but would you like some gum?”  And I was like “Nah!  You want some pesto?  This shit’s the bomb!”

Then I got the great idea to tame it with some cream cheese.  Which I know isn’t very authentic, but it really did make it more . . . approachable, if you catch my meaning.  Well, at the very least, it made me more approachable, which everyone was, and still is, thankful for.  Now if I would just quit saying “The Bomb” they’d really be pleased. 

You need a good strong blender or a food processor to make this recipe.  I have a mediocre but sturdy Toshiba food processor that I bought at a second hand store.  My dream processor is the 14-Cup Cuisinart Stainless Steel model (check it out at Amazon), but my old Toshiba will do the trick.  So, I’m not saying you need expensive equipment to make this, just the right equipment.  

Now, pesto is very much a “taste it and add stuff until you like it” kind of recipe.  If you like it strong you can add more garlic.  If you like it milder, add less garlic, and you can add up to 4 ounces of cream cheese before you really start to compromise the flavor.

In my next post I’ll talk about what I’m going to do with this pesto, but first things first.  Here goes.

Basil Pesto

1 1/2 cup fresh basil, packed (I like to use the leaves, mainly)
3-5 cloves of garlic, peeled
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 to 4 ounces cream cheese

Place pine nuts in a small baking dish in a single layer and toast in a 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes, stirring every 2 to 3 minutes, until lightly browned.  Cool.

Remove the majority of the stems from the basil and measure them by packing them into the measuring cup.

Lightly press garlic with the knife and remove the papery skin.

Place basil, garlic, cooled pine nuts, and parmesan cheese into food processor bowl (or blender).

Begin to process slowly, adding first the lemon juice, then the olive oil.  Stop to scrape down the sides, then increase the speed to medium continuing until the mixture is fully emulsified (the basil and garlic should be suspended in the olive oil).

Taste the pesto.  Depending on the tanginess, begin to add cream cheese 1 tablespoon at a time, processing after each addition.  Taste and continue to add cream cheese a small amount at a time until you achieve the desired flavor and strength.

Store pesto in a covered container in the fridge for up to about 3 days.  You can also freeze the pesto to use at a later date.