Blue Cheese and Bacon Dip

This is actually one of my favorite dips because it's so easy to whip up and so versatile in the foods you can use to dip in it. It's easy for an afternoon snack or a party appetizer. 

Ingredients:

• 4 bacon slices
• 1 minced garlic clove
• 1 package cream cheese
• 3 tablespoons half and half
• 2 oz crumbled blue cheese
• 1 tablespoon oregano

1. Cook bacon in skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove and set aside reserving the drippings in the skillet. Add the garlic to the skillet and saute about 1 minute.
2. Beat together cream cheese until smooth. Add the half and half until combined. Stir in bacon, garlic, blue cheese and oregano.
3. Spoon mixture into a baking dish and bake at 350 Degrees for 20 minutes or until the top looks golden brown.
4. Serve with fruit, crackers, etc.

Prosciutto Cup Quiche Breakfast

This is actually a better looking version of how the cups came out so I went ahead and posted this instead. I got the recipe (and picture) from epicurious.com but tweeked it a bit to my liking. 

Ingredients:

(mine made 8 cups)

several slices of prosciutto (however many cups your making) 

3 egg whites

1 whole egg

3 tablespoons nonfat plain Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon chopped black olives

1/2 teaspoon chopped rosemary

pinch of salt

dash of pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees and coat a muffin pan with cooking spray.

Press a slice of prosciutto into each of the cups. Then whisk together the egg whites and eggs until smooth. Stir in the rest of the ingredients.

Pour mixture into each of the cups and bake about 10 minutes until the mixture is cooked through.

Must Have Muffaletta Burger

I just came across this goody on the Food Network website. As a HUGE fan of the sandwich version I was so excited to see this I had to post.  I mean it is BBQ season...can't wait to heat the grill up!

Ingredients

• 12 slices Genoa or hard salami "bacon"
• 1 1/2 pounds good quality ground pork
• 1 small white onion, grated
• 2 medium garlic cloves, finely minced
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons Greek seasoning (recommended: Cavender's)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 8 slices provolone cheese
• Creole mayo, recipe follows
• 4 kaiser rolls
• Red onion, thinly sliced
• Shredded iceberg lettuce
• Good quality Italian olive salad, chopped (recommended: Boscoli brand)

For Creole Mayo:

• 3/4 cup good mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon Creole mustard (recommended: Zatarain's)
• Pinch salt
• Pinch freshly ground black pepper

Directions

For Salami Bacon:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a heavy large baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Arrange 12 salami slices in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake until the salami slices are browned (much like bacon), watching closely to ensure they brown evenly, about 10 minutes. They will crisp as they cool.

Transfer the salami bacon to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to absorb the excess oil. Set aside to cool.

Do-Ahead Tip: The salami bacon can be made 8 hours ahead, and stored in an airtight container kept at room temperature.

For Burgers:

Combine the pork, onion, garlic, salt, Greek seasoning and black pepper in a large bowl and mix just until evenly combined, do not overmix). Form the meat mixture into 4 equal patties a little larger in diameter than the kaiser rolls, so that when they shrink after cooking they will fit the roll perfectly.

Heat a grill pan or outdoor grill to medium heat. Once the grill is hot, cook the burgers until the juices run clear and patties are firm to the touch, about 6 minutes per side. Do not overcook or the burgers will be dry and tasteless. Top each burger with 2 slices of the provolone cheese during the last 2 minutes of cooking to melt the cheese. Remove the burgers to a plate and tent with foil and allow to rest for a couple of minutes while you prepare the rolls.

For Creole Mayo:

Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl.

To assemble the burgers:

Split the rolls in half and toast the cut surfaces lightly on the grill or in pan, just before the patties are done.

Spread Creole mayo on the bottom halves of the rolls and top with the burgers. Top each burger with 3 pieces of salami bacon, a thin slice of red onion, some lettuce, then a little of the chopped olive salad. Spread a little Creole mayo on the top half of each roll and cover the burgers. Press it down, grab some napkins, and ENJOY!!!!!

Courtesy: The Food Network 

Mozzarella, Tomato, Basil Skewers

These were a huge hit this weekend among my house guest.

It's simply mozzarella, tomato and basil wedged between pieces of toasted bread.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

24 slices white country bread

6 tbsp olive oil

9oz mozzarella cheese cut into small slices

6 ripe plum tomatoes cut into small slices

fresh basil leaves

salt and black pepper

chopped parsley leaves (garnish)

1. Preheat the over to 425 degrees. Trim the crust from the bread (I left some of them on because it looked yummy) and slice into four equal squares. Arrange on the baking sheet and brush with olive oil. Bake about 5 minutes or until a pale gold color.

2. Remove the bread from the oven and begin to stack starting with a square of bread, then a slice of mozzarella, slice of tomato and a basil leaf. Repeat, ending with another piece of bread. Push a skewer (or toothpick) through the stack.

3. Finish all the stack and return them to the baking sheet and bake for about another 10 minutes or until the cheese starts to melt. 

4. Garnish with parsley flakes.

Weekend's Over: But We Did Party....

I hosted a BBQ Birthday Bash for a good friend of mine this weekend at our apartment.

I used a purple-white-black color scheme with a little pink thrown in. Everything from the decorations to the blueberry pie to the peanut butter jelly shots at the bar matched.

The inside bar:

and as always, there were cupcakes:

Happy Easter!

Since this is my first post I thought I'd share with you where I got my love of entertaining:

my mother.
I headed home with my fiance today for Easter lunch and was greeted with this visionary feast:

As in real life, I'm skipping straight to the dessert portion of the meal:

Fruit Cups made from Orange Peels:



and of course

Cupcakes:

nobody does it like mom!

Happy Easter everyone!