As daughter Sarah and I planned for appetizers for their wedding reception, we found this Grape and Goat Cheese Bite appetizer. What’s not to like…goat cheese, pecans and grapes. Simple. Luscious. And, again, a Pinterest find.
GRAPE AND GOAT CHEESE BITES
Finely chop pecans in a food processor.
The hardest part of this recipe is rolling the goat cheese into balls. Only take a small amount of goat cheese from the frig at a time since it is easier to roll when cold.
Roll room temperature goat cheese balls in chopped pecans (so nuts will easily stick to goat cheese).
Put goat cheese ball on a toothpick and top with a fresh, washed green grape. Voila!
Ok, I’m on a Pinterest roll this week. I LOVE this website and used so many ideas from Pinterest for both daughter’s weddings. I noticed several family and friends pinned this Strawberry Bruschetta and I had to try it. It is amazingly simple yet fantastically delicious. I’m made it for parties, assembled and ready to serve. It’s like dessert for an appetizer. It feels soooo right.
It’s summer! Enjoy!
STRAWBERRY BRUSCHETTA
1 cup strawberries, hulled and diced
1 tbsp. sugar
1 French baguette
4 oz. goat cheese
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
¼ cup minced basil leaves
Freshly ground black pepper
Combine the strawberries and sugar in a small bowl; toss to combine. Let the berries sit for about 30 minutes so that they begin to release their juices. Spread a thin layer of goat cheese on top of each baguette slice. Top each slice with spoonfuls of the strawberry mixture. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Top each slice with the basil leaves and cracked pepper, to taste.
Pinterest is a wonderful invention, giving us instant access to so many wonderful ideas. One of those ideas that daughter, Sarah, and I chose for one of the wedding appetizers was cucumber cups. What the heck is a cucumber cup, you say? Read on….
Wash the cucumber. Using a potato peeler, peel stripes around the cucumber. Cut off the round end of the cucumber. Cut the cucumber into 1″ slices. Taking a grapefruit spoon or teaspoon, hollow out about 2/3 of the center of the cucumber.
Fill each cucumber cup with the filling of your choice. Some of the ideas I’ve used include:
hummus with a chopped piece of red pepper on top
goat cheese with a drizzle of honey and a pecan or walnut on top
cream cheese with salmon/lox and a sprig of fresh dill
dip…any dip you please
It’s cucumber season, so cut some cups for an easy appetizer that will chill you down after a hot day.
Tres Leches (Three Milk) Cake was not on my radar screen until 8-10 years ago. A friend served it for the Holidays and I was instantly in love! When my sister and I traveled to Puerto Rico a few years ago, we couldn’t get enough of it!
On my way home from Nicaragua several weeks ago, I wasn’t ready to let go of the cuisine and was happy to discover Tres Leches at the Miami airport. It was good, but not of the quality I truly wanted to experience.
Once home in Colorado, I had to make it from scratch. It tasted wonderful, but not the most beautiful presentation I’ve ever seen. Oh well, I’m more about the taste, especially when fresh strawberries graced the top of each serving.
TRES LECHES CAKE
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
5 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 inch square baking pan.
In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder.
Use an electric mixer to beat egg whites, in a large bowl, until forming soft peaks.
Add sugar a bit at a time and beat until well mixed.
Add egg yolks one at a time, beating 30 seconds after each egg yolk is added.
Continue beating and add half of the flour mixture and half of the milk.
Mix very well then add the remaining flour, milk and vanilla extract. Assure all are mixed well together.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Use a toothpick, fork, or skewer to poke several holes in the cake.
THREE MILK SYRUP:
Three Milk Syrup
12 ounce can evaporated milk
14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup heavy cream
Mix the evaporated milk, condensed milk and heavy cream together until well blended. Pour over top of prepared cake. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or more.
Pouring Three Milk Syrup over Cake
I served the cake without the following frosting but with strawberries. Just in case you are more of a frosting person, here it is:
FROSTING:
1 cup cold whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Before serving the cake, whip together the cream, sugar and vanilla in a chilled bowl. Use an electric mixer to beat until stiff peaks form.
Spread frosting over cake. Cut into squares and service. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.
What says summer better than a cool, refreshing salad. I LOVE quinoa and experimenting with different combinations. Today, I decided to combine my affection for chicken salad with fruit and nuts along with the quinoa. Love it!
QUINOA SALAD WITH STRAWBERRIES AND CHICKEN
1 cup quinoa cooked in two cups boiling water for 12 minutes.
sliced strawberries
chopped yellow pepper
2-3 chopped green onions
2 cups chopped, cooked chicken
1 cup chopped pecans
salt
balsamic salad dressing
Fresh blueberries are coming into season and a wonderful time for a warm, Blueberry Coffee Cake. I served this yummy cake for my annual Mother’s Day Coffee.
It’s easy to make and I LOVE the crumb topping. Great with a hot cup of coffee or tea with family and friends.
I typically double this recipe for a larger coffee cake.
BLUEBERRY COFFEE CAKE
CAKE BATTER:
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 butter, softened
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup milk
2 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
2 1/4 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
CRUMB TOPPING:
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup soft butter
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rinse and drain the blueberries.
Combine 3/4 cup sugar, 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in a bowl and mix well. Add 1/4 cup soft butter, egg and mix. Add 1/2 cups milk and mix well. Stir in 2 cups of flour. The batter will resemble thick pancake batter. You may have to finish mixing by hand. Add the blueberries and gently mix in.
Blueberry Cake Batter
Grease and flour pans (9″ square pan or two loaf pans). Pour batter into pans, about 1/2 full.
Mix topping. Crumble evenly on top of batter.
Blueberry Coffee Cake ready for the oven
Bake for 45 minutes. If not brown on the top, bake a bit longer, checking every 3 to 4 minutes. Set the coffee cake on a rack to cool and enjoy.
Our Book Club meets every other month and tries to match the pot-luck cuisine to align with the story. This month our book was ‘Sarah’s Key’. I loved this book! If you’ve not read it, I highly recommend it. The story takes place in France during WWII. While food and cooking wasn’t the topic of the book, French Cuisine was the food du jour.
French cooking brings Julia Child to mind but I was looking for something light and fresh. I was delighted to find a French Green Bean Salad that was perfect!
French Green Bean Salad
FRENCH GREEN BEAN SALAD
Kosher Salt
1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
Ingredients for French Green Bean Salad
Fill a large bowl with ice water. Bring a large pot of water to boil and add 1 tablespoon of kosher salt. Add the beans and cook for 1 minute only so the beans are crisp tender. Drain the beans and put them in the ice water until completely cool. Drain the beans again, dry on paper towels. Place the beans in a large bowl.
In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper. While whisking, slowly add the olive oil to make an emulsion.
Dressing for French Green Bean Salad
Pour enough dressing over the beans to moisten them well, reserving the remaining dressing for another use. Toss with the dill, season to taste and serve at room temperature.
What says Spring more than fresh spinach and strawberries? I have a lonely bunch of spinach that popped up volunteer in my garden in late March. The strawberries at the market are beautiful, so time to celebrate spring with this luscious salad. I opted to top the salad with red onion and walnuts today but top with other items to make your salad unique!
SESAME-POPPY SEED DRESSING:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon minced onion
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup oil
1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
SALAD: Combine baby spinach and strawberries in a large bowl; toss with 1/2 cup Sesame-Poppy Seed Dressing just before serving. Service with remaining dressing and toppings.
DRESSING: Pulse first 5 ingredients in a blender 2 or 3 times or until smooth. With blender running, add oil in a slow, steady stream; process until smooth. Stir in poppy seeds; chill 24 hours.
Pal Maribeth first introduced me to this wonderful pizza. I love the combination of flavors and how easy (and relatively healthy) it is! The recipe can be modified to be vegan or gluten-free.
I baked the pizza on my pizza stone and found the baking time doubled. Bake until the bottom of the crust is light brown before removing from the oven to add the toppings and bake again.
Slice of Mexican Pizza
MEXICAN PIZZA
1 can spicy fat-free, vegetarian refried beans
1 cup salsa
18 inch pizza crust
2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
4 medium thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup ranch salad dressing
1 cup crushed tortilla chips (add more as desired)
1 cup shredded pepper jack or Monterey Jack cheese (or more if desired)
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Mix beans and 1/2 cup salsa in a medium bowl. Place crust on cookie sheet, then spread the bean mixture over crust. Bake until crisp, about 10 minutes.
Pizza Crust with refried beans and salsa ready for the oven
Remove from oven, top with lettuce and green onions. Dollop with remaining salsa. Drizzle ranch dressing over. Top with chips and cheese. Bake approximately 2 minutes longer until cheese melts.
Pizza ready for the oven for two additional minutes
Cool slightly. I added fresh chopped avocado to the top with bowls of sour cream and salsa to add as the guests desire. Slice and serve.
Fork Lore 