Balsamic Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Crostini

There is something special about caramelized onions. Its not that its expensive and it doesn't take a special pan or knife or anything really.... just time and attention. Its dishes like these that truly show off your cooking skills - its easy to make $40 a pound prosciutto taste good but how does the $0.99/lb onion fare.  I have to admit that this idea was totally ripped off from a friend... she served it at her Christmas party this year and I have been thinking of it ever since! She served brie with her crostini and that was a perfect pairing as well.

This is a simple and low cost appetizer that can either be assembled or just put out for guests to serve themselves. The most expensive part of the whole dish was the splash of aged balsamic I used to deglaze the pan at the end of the cooking. If you don't have the time (or inclination) to make the crostini yourself you can always get pre-made rounds at most stores - the store near me even sells them pre-seasoned which is even easier.

Follow the link for the directions

Clams Casino

I love to cook and entertain but sometimes I am just happy to spend the night doing nothing. I am very lucky that I have many friends who are more than happy to chip in and get their hands dirty when I feel more like sitting on the couch and drinking some wine! My friend Jema and I decided that we were going to visit a friend with her new baby and it would be better that we spent the night at my house so we could get an early start... next thing you know we were planning a feast that was starting to be a bit excessive!

There is nothing better than friends who don't judge because after all of the food we ate that night there may have been some jeans traded in for pajamas and waist bands of all type banned from the room. Jema was so kind to come and take over the kitchen and make the deliciously decadent start to our feast. Be warned if you order clams casino on a restaurant menu you will most likely end up with something stuffed with breadcrumbs and only a bit of bacon... but that is absolutely NOT how we do it!

click through for the recipe....

Deviled Eggs

Our house is eggtastic! My boyfriend wakes up around the same time as me and while I am busy showering and dressing he sometimes makes me a hard boiled egg for breakfast. His cooking skills are basically one step only - sausage in pan or pasta in water...he even simplifies things like a grilled cheese by putting it in the oven instead of using a pan on the stove top! But I always appreciate it when he takes the time to make me breakfast, especially since I am pretty much non-functional in the morning. Well he loves deviled eggs and I have been promising that I would make him up a bunch since we almost always have a dozen eggs hanging around.

Along came football season and the creative cooks at seriouseats.com  have come up with a spicy version of the deviled egg as well as one that uses a touch of sour cream instead of mayo... delicious! I am not as adverse to mayo as I used to be but if there is a substitution I am always going to try it. There is nothing that my guy likes more than spicy so when I saw a version with sriracha sauce I knew exactly where to start. I love the idea of a Bloody Mary and some deviled eggs to start the day... though I think I should make sure to leave that to the weekend!

Tomato Mozz and Basil appetizer

There are a million recipes for this classic Caprese salad. But there is a reason for that, at their best there is nothing more that you need than this perfect bite of fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil. Here in the New York area spring is starting to creep in - I saw my first tree buds and flowers yesterday- but freshly grown tomatoes are still many months away. Luckily, we have been able to maintain our herbs all winter long (well fingers crossed!). I wish that I could take credit for this but my thumb is definitely not green...basic Pothos type plants are really all I can handle. Luckily, my boyfriend is quite good at keeping our little garden alive.

This winter we have shared our basil fresh bites of summer by bringing this dish to a few friends parties - a welcome addition to the usual chips and dips. We dressed them simply with sprinkle of salt and pepper and a swirl of aged balsamic vinegar and good olive oil. Like most others I think I am going a bit spring crazy with the nice temperatures over the weekend.... so here it is my ode to warmer days!

Crab Cake Lettuce Wrap

Crab Cakes are so simple to make but they are always a hit. These easy appetizers can be fried in advance and just heated in the oven before being served to guests. Or you can only skip the frying and just bake them however, I love the crunchy crusty layer that forms when you give them a pan frying. I like to use a lot of meat and a handful of breadcrumbs in my crabcakes however it is possible to make one with no breadcrumbs at all. For an even crunchier shell you can always roll your crabcakes in a second layer of breadcrumbs.

 

The lettuce wrap is a fun way to serve and present a crabcake along with a spicy remoulade sauce to top it and give it a little kick.

Baby Lamb Chops

They are just so irresistible. Baby Lamb Chops just are decadent, delicious and oh so savory. This fast cook just needs a herb rub before a quick sear and then a few minutes warming in the oven at 350 F.  They make a great little appetizer or first course.....

Comfort Appetizers: Healthy Tuna Melt

Appetizers enhance any social gathering, whether its for two or two hundred, miniature versions of your favorites are always welcome at a party. Here in the Tri-State area, there is one late night spot that everyone enjoys - your local diner. Its definitely better than takeout and you can hang out and chat about the nights events before you head home. Diners are known for their classic, comfort food available 24/7. This bite-size version updates some of the flavors with a fresh garden twist.

After getting started on this dish I noticed that I didn't have any mayonnaise available so a traditional tuna salad was out of the question.  I did have a lot of vegetables and the plain greek yogurt that I purchased for my breakfasts...everything I needed to add a bit of green to my dish.

To assemble
1) Use cookie cutter to create a round - brush with butter and grill each size 4 min till browned
2) Add 1 slice beer cheese (obtained from Findalay Market, Cincinnati, OH) and allow to melt
3) Grill slice of tomato and top bread
4) Add a scoop of tuna salad and a sprinkle of shredded cheddar

Tuna Salad
2 cans water packed tuna
2 tbsp plain greek yogurt 0%
1 small cucumber - seeded and diced
1 celery - diced 
1 carrot - diced
2 tbsp fresh cilantro minced
1 hot pepper - seeds removed - finely diced
salt & pepper

3/4/10 - Left Over Chicken Soup...recycling in the kitchen

Since I had a party on Saturday night I wasn't up to roasting my usual Sunday afternoon chicken (in fact I wasn't even up for most of the day!) so I didn't have chicken stock on hand for my usual weekly soup. Soup is one of my favorite meals - honestly I could eat it every day (and I usually do have a bowl at lunch most days) so I had to resort to some boxes of stock that I had been saving up when they go on sale (4 /$10 for the organic chicken at stew leonards). While the broth wasn't its usual flavorful self I did have plenty of left over veggies and appetizers that were perfect for making this soup more than just your average chicken soup.

I started with the left overs from my crudites plate - carrots, celery and red peppers and I added in some onion. Then I went to my hot appetizers and used the mini meatballs (both the chipotle and the moroccan) as well as the cheese wontons as my pasta. While each had its own unique taste when it was served on its own, together they blended together and complemented the dish nicely. I threw in a few more veggies (mushrooms and spinach) and a touch of grated cheese to pull it all together.

2/8/10 - Oven Baked Chicken Fingers

As always I went a little crazy and planned way to much food for our Super Bowl "party". There was only 3 of us here so we didn't really need the rounds of courses that I had on hand just in case. I saw a picture online for some oven baked chicken fingers using a spiced up breadcrumb to season them and decided to do my take on them. It was easy and a lot lighter than anything fried yet it made boneless skinless chicken breast delicious and fun.