Finger Foods for Dinner Party

These recipes are from http://www.food.com/, which is my top 'go-to' site when I can't think of good recipes. There are so many recipes you can follow and you can upload your own recipes too. You can't go wrong with recipes from this website because people rate the recipes so you can find the best recipes.

Baked Cherry Tomatoes with Parmesan Topping – recipe by yooper (www.food.com)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 pints cherry tomatoes

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions

Pour oil into 13x9x2 inch broilproof ceramic baking dish.

Add tomatoes, turn to coat with oil.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Top with parsley and cheese.

Preheat oven to 400.

Bake tomatoes just until plump and shiny but not split (about 10 min).

Preheat broiler.

Broil until tomatoes begin to split and cheese begins to color (about 2 min).

Serve hot or warm.

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers—recipe by AZRoxy63 (food.com)

Ingredients:

25 fresh jalapeno peppers

14-16 ounces cream cheese

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

2 packages bacon

Directions:

Cut stems off of peppers can cut them all in half longways.

Remove seeds from peppers.

Fill each pepper with cream cheese and sprinkle cheddar cheese on top.

Wrap ½ slice of bacon around each pepper half.

Place on baking sheets and bake in 450 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until bacon is fully cooked.

Remove and serve when cooled.

Roast Beef Horseradish Spirals – recipe by Derf (food.com)

Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese (at room temperature)

2 green onions, chopped about ½ cup

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons prepared horseradish, drained

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

8 ounces deli roast beef, sliced

2 10-inch flour tortillas, cheese flavored

Directions:

Combine first 6 ingredients.

Place the two tortillas on work surface, spread half of cheese over each, top each with half of the roast beef slices, leaving ½ inch border around edges.

Roll up, wrap tightly in plastic wrap.

Refrigerate until firm.

Cut diagonally into ½ inch slices and serve.

Here are recipes of some of my favorite finger foods that’s perfect for dinner parties.

Summer Pastas

I’m a big pasta lover and so are my children. Pasta is easy to make, delicious, and you can add whatever you want to make it a healthy dish. Two most widely used pasta sauce are Tomato and Alfredo but you can get tired of them even when you change the ingredients often. So I’ll write about different types of noodles and sunny sauces that you won’t get sick of. These recipes are from Wall Street Journal.


Pasta: Pici

Sauce: Summer Squash Blossoms, Pecorino

Heat oven to 225 degrees. Arrange 1 pound Roma tomatoes, halved, on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive and sprinkle with salt.

Bake for 2-3 hours and reserve.
Boil a large pot of salted water.

Slice 2-3 medium summer squash and place a large sauté pan over medium heat and coat with olive oil. Add 1 clove garlic, brown gently and discard. Add squash and sauté until golden.

Add reserved oven-roasted tomatoes to the sauté pan and let them break down.

Simmer for 2 minutes, add a big handful whole or hand-torn squash blossoms, simmer 2 minutes and season to taste.

Cook 1 pound pici in boiling water and drain, reserving a little of the water. Add pici to sauté pan and cook 1 minute more on high heat; add a little pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed.
Top with grated pecorino and a drizzle of olive oil.

Pasta: Cavatelli
Sauce: Lobster, Tomato, Pea Leaves and Lovage

 Bring salted water in each of one medium and one large pot.

Core 2 large tomatoes and, with the tip of a knife, make an X mark in the skin at the base of each.

Drop the tomatoes into the medium pot of boiling water for 30 seconds, then remove and transfer to a bowl of ice water.

Peel off the tomato skins and roughly chop the tomatoes.

Coat a large sauté pan with olive oil, add 1 clove garlic, sliced very thinly, and slowly increase the heat. Just before the garlic starts to brown, add the tomatoes and their liquid. Cook for 2 minutes and season with salt and pepper.

Add 1 pound fresh cavatelli to the large pot of boiling water and cook for a few ; drain, reserving 1 cup pasta water, then add the pasta to the pan with the tomatoes.

Cook pasta with the tomatoes for 3 minutes, adding a splash of pasta water and olive oil if it gets dry.

Add 6 ounces roughly-chopped cooked lobster, 1 teaspoon lovage, cut into thin ribbons, and ¼ cup pea tendrils

Pasta: Trofie

Sauce: Cranberry Beans, Ricotta Salata and Walnuts

Shell 1½ pounds fresh cranberry beans.

Boil a large pot of salted water. Coat another pot with olive oil and add 3 cloves peeled garlic and the shelled beans.

Season with sea salt, crushed white pepper and pinch of dried chili flakes.

Sauté gently for 15-30 minutes, adding a few spoonfuls of water to keep the beans wet.

Meanwhile, add the trofie to the boiling water and cook until al dente.

Drain, reserving a cup of pasta water.

Add pasta directly to the bean pot, along with a splash of the reserved pasta water. Toss.

GRate a generous amount of ricotta salata over and garnish with a handful of crushed walnuts and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

I've only shared three but you can get more summer pasta recipes at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904007304576496150642449030.html

Let kids pack their own lunch

Today my son and daughter made their own lunches. My son made a PB&J Sandwich and my daughter made a ‘Happy Face Sandwich’. When I told them last night that they can pack their own lunches today, they were really excited. I usually don’t have waking up kids in the morning but their excitements woke them up extra early today. If you’re having a trouble trying to wake up children in the morning, try giving them a chore (it has to be a fun one like feeding the dog or choosing cereal for the family every morning!). I assume everyone knows how to make PB&Js so I’ll share a couple more simple recipes along with ‘Happy Face Sandwich’ recipe. These are really easy and fun for kids to make. Hope this makes your morning easier! 

Happy Face Sandwich

Ingredients: Peanut Butter, sliced bananas, raisins, 1 slice of bread, m&m’s candy

Spread the peanut butter on the slice of bread. Put 2 sliced bananas on the bread so they look like eyes. Use a raisin as a nose and make the mouth out of M&M’s candy. 

English Muffin Pizza

Ingredients: 1 split English muffin, pizza sauce, shredded cheese, kid’s favorite toppings such as pepperoni, bacon, ground beef, etc.

Lizzy’s tip: Dice vegetables into small pieces and give them to kids to decorate their pizzas. They’ll be gladly eating veggies without even knowing.

Toast English muffins (you should probably do this for kids since it could be dangerous). Spread pizza sauce evenly on muffin halves, sprinkle cheese on top and add the toppings. Put on a tray and put into a toaster oven to cook for 5-10 minutes. 

Bologna melt

Ingredients: 2 slices of bread, 2 slices of cheese, 2 slices of bologna or ham, margarine, mustard

Place bread on top of a cookie sheet and grease them with margarine. On each slice, place a slice of bologna or ham and 1 slice of cheese. Put mustard on the top and bake in oven for 5-10 min or until the cheese melts. 

Summer Soups

There was an interesting article on WSJ just yesterday. It introduced recipes for summer soups. I don’t know if you guys have heard of ‘summer soups’ but it was so new to me. These soups are served chilled and give you refreshment like any other summer drink. I’ll share these recipes with you. 

Chilled Cucumber Honeydew Soup

Okay, so the original recipe includes sake to give a cocktail-like touch but I’ve removed it so children can enjoy it as well.

• ·         In a blender, puree 2 cups of seedless cucumbers with 2 cups ripe honeydew melon and ¼ cup Greek yogurt. 
•     Put it in a bowl and add 1 cup diced cucumber and 1 cup diced honeydew.
•  Chill for at least 3 hours before serving.

This is a good soup to serve to children because honeydew adds sweet flavor to it. It can served alone but I served it as thick salad dressing. 

Chilled Corn Soup with Fresh Nutmeg

•   Slice the kernels off 3 ears of fresh summer corn
• Put the cobs in a large pot, boil in 6 cups of water and simmer for about half an hour –this makes corn broth
•  In a soup pot, melt 2 TBSP of butter over medium heat. Add 1 chopped Vidalia onion and 1 chopped shallot and sweat for about 10 min. without browning. Add the corn kernels and stir to coat them in the butter. Add the corn broth and simmer the soup until the corn is tender.
•  Transfer the corn and onions to a blender with 1 ½ cups of the cooking liquid. Puree for 5 minutes and transfer to a clean pot to add 1 cup heavy cream, 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg, salt and pepper.
• Chill for 3 hours before serving.

This is my personal favorite. I love the corn’s natural sweet taste with the deep scent and flavor of nutmeg. Some kids (like mine) tend to dislike the nutmeg flavor and you can omit it in that case.

 

Asparagus Vishyssoise

• ·         Peel and dice 1 potato and slice 3 medium leeks. 
• Sweat in 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat until translucent. 
• Add 3 cups of chicken broth, bring to boil, reduce the heat, cover and cook until the potato is soft.  
•  Add 1 pound of asparagus and cook 3 to 5 minutes, depending on their thickness; they should be just tender.

I haven’t tried this one yet but as a big asparagus lover, this sure sounds good.

Go to http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904800304576474043308132226.html for more recipes and information about summer soups. I think it’s a brilliant twist on soups and if anyone knows other cool summer recipes, please share them!

Colombian Cheese Bread

Today I’d like to share a recipe for cheese bread. Cheese bread makes good snack for kids, a light meal, or a side dish. The origin of cheese bread is unknown—no one knows exactly where it came from in the first place. This recipe is from the eighteenth century, but it’s already been very popular in Brazil since the 50's.
In Colombia cheese bread is popular and eaten very commonly, just like in Brazil. Traditional Colombian cheese bread is flatter in shape than those of Brazil and they are called “Pandebono.” 

Ingredients
     2 cups corn threshing.
     1 cup cassava starch (sour).
     Coastal 3 cups cheese, grated.
     3 cups fresh curd.
     2 eggs, beaten

Directions
Preheat your oven at 350 degrees. Put all ingredients in a bowl, mix and knead well. Make little balls and line them on a greased tin. Make sure they are not too close to each other. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until they rise and brown.
Cheese bread is a great light meal substitute and it also makes a good between-meals-snack. I make a dozen in the morning and serve some lightly toasted with butter and cream cheese, just like the bagels. A couple goes into my kids’ lunchbox with patties and veggies in between. Left overs are microwaved and served as side dish with olive oil and balsamic.  

Eat More Salads

A couple days ago, I read an interesting article on WSJ:  An average American eats a salad at mealtime only 36 times a year. Isn’t that surprising? If that’s the average number for American adults, imagine how much smaller the number would be for children. I don’t know why—and probably many parents don’t either—but children generally don’t like to eat vegetables and salads. I’d like to share a couple recipes to make delicious salads that kids will actually like. But another important thing is we all should start eating more healthy before we try to make our kids eat veggies and salads.

·         Spinach, spring mix or romaine

·         Sliced almonds

·         Chopped strawberries

·         Feta cheese

·         Raspberry vinaigrette dressing

Mix the greens with almonds and strawberries. Top it with feta cheese and dressing.

Blueberry Salad

·         9 cups mixed greens

·         1 cup fresh or thawed blueberries

·         2 TBS sunflower kernels

Dressing:

·         4 TBS Canola Oil

·         2TBS sugar

·         3 TBS cider vinegar

·         1 TBS orange juice

·         ½ tsp ground mustard

·         ¼ tsp salt

Waldorf Salad

·         2 red apples, cored and chopped

·         2 TBS orange juice

·         2 stalks celery, chopped

·         ½ cup chopped walnuts

·         ½ cup raisins

·         ¼ cup mayonnaise

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mix well and refrigerate until ready to serve.

These recipes are from http://www.raisehealthyeaters.com/2010/11/8-salads-that-will-get-your-kids-hooked/

They have more kid-friendly salads on the website so check it out if you’re interested.

Strawberry Surprise

How to Prepare Korean Ramen

Looking for a delicious, instant food? Why not Korea’s popular spicy noodles?

First, you have to buy a packet of instant noodles, or “ramen” as it is called in Korea. The most popular brand is “Shin Ramyun” and, as can be seen in the picture, this packet will contain fried noodles, a package of soup base and a package of vegetables. Second, get a pot and boil two cups of water. Once the water is ready, put the noodles in. It’s better if you snap them in half before-hand since it will be easier to stir and boil. Next, empty out the two packages and continue stirring. You can add anything else to heighten the flavor, such as: eggs, spam, green onion and cheese.

Now, for a few tips: Crack an egg into a separate cup and stir before putting into the pot. Add things like sausages and spam early on to allow them to absorb the heat. Stirring is very important! But be careful not to do so in excess; it may bloat the noodles. Finally, take care of the water proportion. Too much water will lessen the flavor and too little water will make it too strong or even burn the noodles.

Once it is ready, serve it in a bowl and eat with a delicious side-dish of kimchi!

Healthy snacks for kids

Cheese

The protein in this kid-friendly snack keeps energy levels high until dinnertime. We like to stick salt-free pretzel sticks into cubes of low-fat cheese to make "satellite snacks," but you can also make cheese more interesting to kids by cutting it into fun shapes with a cookie cutter and making kabobs with your favorite fruit.

Healthier Baked Goods

Your child will never guess you're sneaking fruits or vegetables into her diet when you bake them into yummy muffins or breads. Banana bread, zucchini muffins, and carrot bars are a few of our favorites for kids. Our tasty Yam and Jam Muffins contain beta-carotene and potassium from the sweet potatoes, but only you will know.

Whole Grain Cereal

With vitamins, calcium, and fiber, a bowl of enriched whole grain cereal with milk and fruit is a power-packed snack or healthy start to the day. For a fun and flavorful twist, try out cute clusters with yogurt-covered cereal and dried strawberries.

Yogurt

Low-fat yogurt is an excellent source of calcium, and children love it dressed up. To add taste and nutritional value, whip up a yogurt parfait with berries and granola or make a homemade fruity yogurt pop that beats sugary store-bought frozen treats any day.

Eggs

One egg provides a 4-year-old with almost one-third of her protein requirements for the day. Keep a bunch of hard-boiled eggs in the fridge (they last for seven days), or scramble an egg and roll it up in a flour tortilla. Another great idea: our easy breakfast pita that can be made the night before for an on-the-go meal.

Guacamole

For those people with lack of creativity about what to cook on the weekend, how about breaking the routine and cook a typical Mexican recipe?

Guacamole is basically a well spiced avocado puree with ingredients like: tomato, garlic, onion and chili, of course

Cuisine type: Mexican

Yield 6 servings

Ingredients

2 Avocados

2 tomatoes - peeled and chopped

1 minced clove

1 chopped onion

1 chopped cayenne pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon coriander

1 lemon juice

Salt

Directions

Chop all the ingredients well, the pepper and tomatoes have to be seeded.

In a bowl mash the avocados with a fork and add the lemon juice, Add tomato, onion, garlic, coriander, olive oil, salt, pepper. Refrigerate 1 hour for the best flavor, or serve immediately. Serve it with tortillas or nacho chips.

Back to the south with chicken pot pie

Ingredients

• 4 sheets frozen puff pastry
• 1 egg, beaten
• 4 chicken breast halves, or 2 cups leftover cooked chicken
• Seasoned salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 1/3 cup butter
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 quart heavy cream
• 1/4 cup chicken base
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 small yellow onion, minced
• 1 cup frozen green peas, cooked
• 1 cup chopped cooked carrots
• Pinch fresh grated nutmeg, optional
• Special equipment: 4 (2-cup) individual baking dishes

Directions

Crust:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut each sheet of frozen puff pastry into 1-inch strips, 8 inches long. On a large cookie sheet, weave strips into a lattice large enough to cover each pot pie. Brush beaten egg onto each lattice square. Bake for 5 minutes, or until dough has risen and turned light golden brown. Set aside until ready to assemble pies. Leave oven on at 350 degrees F.

Filling:

Season chicken with seasoned salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and saute until cooked through. Remove from heat and cut into chunks. Alternatively, you may use precooked chicken.

In a large saucepan, melt butter and then slowly add flour, stirring until consistency of peanut butter, but not brown like a roux. Slowly add cream and keep stirring. Add chicken base, garlic, and onion and stir until thickened. Add peas, carrots, nutmeg, if using, and cut up chicken. Remove from heat. Fill 4 individual oven-proof bowls with chicken mixture and then top each with a pre-cooked lattice square. Bake for 5 minutes or until bubbly. Any remaining pie filling may be frozen.

*food network recipe 

Frijoles Charro

Ingredients:

1/2 kg or 1 pound pinto beans or black beans
12 cups water
180 gr or 1/3 pound bacon, diced
2 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 cup onions, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers or 1 chilli or pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Directions:

First step, wash the beans then soak them in water for 6 hours (inside the fridge).

Put the beans in a large pot with 6 cups of water and bacon. If you cook the beans in a presssure cooker, the process will be faster, if thats not the case, cook for about 1 hour. Once boiling, turn the heat to simmer.

When the beans are cooked, add the chopped onion, tomatoes, pepper, salt and garlic.

Cook until ingredients are tender, about 1 ½ or 2 hours. From time to time, put a little water, to ensure the cooking, never raise the heat above low.

When ready to serve, use the pepper or jalapeños as a decoration for the dish, sprinkle the cilantro on top and serve.