Spinach Balls

I was recently on a "booze cruise" with a bunch of moms (and excuse me while I cry for not being there this very second).  We sailed along on a water ferry, drinking wine, eating appetizers and talking about how our kids and husbands drive us crazy!  Juuuuuust kiddddddding.  Anyways.  Someone made these Spinach Balls and they were FANTASTIC.  I asked her if I could share the recipe and she said yes, so here it is!  Funny story though, I made them over the weekend and forgot one giant ingredient: the 3/4 cup of butter.  I realized this after my first bite and wondered why they didn't taste as addictive as they had on the boat.  Butter... butter makes everything better.  However, they were still pretty good without the butter so if you're in the mood to make them SUPER healthy, you can go ahead and omit it.  (But I wouldn't recommend it cause I don't recommend those kind of things.) 

Spinach Balls

(Makes approx. 45)

Printable Recipe

2 packages 10oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed

3/4 cup butter, melted

1 small yellow onion, diced

4 eggs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 cups seasoned bread crumbs

1/4 tsp pepper

Pinch of salt (I was generous here)

Combine all ingredients, roll into small bowls, place on a baking sheet (I greased mine) and bake for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees, until the edges are golden.  Enjoy!

The next morning I sautéed the leftovers in BUTTER and added a fried egg.  Yum.

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Tuna Avocado Toast + Bertolli Contest

Want to know something?  I love olive oil.  Some women collect shoes, or handbags, or jewelry... and I collect olive oils.  One of my favorite brands, Bertolli, is celebrating their 150th anniversary and they sent me that beautiful anniversary bottle above.  It's so pretty!  I want to carry it around like a handbag or wear it on my feet!  I'm very normal!  Anyway, to celebrate, Bertolli is having a recipe contest in which you could win a trip to Tuscany (as well as other prizes) just by submitting a dish using Bertolli oils.  Check it out here and enter soon, the deadline is July 31st!

The other night, using Bertolli olive oil (duh), I tried to recreate a dish we recently had at the Manhattan Beach, CA restaurant Love and Salt.  If you follow me on Instagram, then you know I pretty much fell in love with this restaurant right away.  We ate insanely crispy yet juicy roast chicken, and pasta with bone marrow (yup), and a salad with crispy garbanzo beans... all while sipping spicy margaritas.  And we began the meal with an albacore tuna and avocado toast.  This toast was something magical... every bite so full of bright texture and flavor.  I could have made love to the toast alone... perfectly crispy and probably soaked in delicious olive oil.  Creamy avocado, with a hint of lemon, topped with fresh, chunky tuna that melted in your mouth, and sprinkled with some sort of olive (caper?) mixture and a sliver of onion.  Am I still talking about this toast??

I thought it would be the perfect appetizer to make with my fancy olive oil, see what I did below...      

I had ciabatta bread leftover from our local pizza joint, so I used that, however you could use sourdough or french bread.  Just slice, and sauté on the stove in a splash of olive oil over medium heat until both sides are golden.  Take a can of solid white albacore tuna (soaked in water), drain and place in a bowl.  Scoop out an avocado into another bowl and mash with a fork.  Take the juice of half a lemon, and sprinkle over both bowls.  Drizzle both bowls with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.  To assemble toasts, spread avocado first, then tuna and then top with some chopped kalamata olives (or use an olive tapenade).  Serve and enjoy!  

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Radish Butter

Radishes are one of those things that you either love or hate.  It took me some time to really appreciate the peppery, crunchy vegetable, and on its own I'm still not quite sure how I feel about it (but does anyone just sit there popping radishes in their mouth?).  However, when you pair it with butter and salt and eat it on top of soft bread, it's something wonderful.  My mom has been doing that since she was a kid!  Trust me, you'll want to try this combination.  Recently I came across an actual spread with salty butter and finely processed radishes that can be served atop toast or even slathered over crunchy lettuce.  It's a simple, summery appetizer  and it's delicious.

A couple of different recipes can be found here and here.

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Hot Ham & Cheese Party Rolls

I was trying so hard to get this post done yesterday, but instead the day was spent mostly in my pajamas, watching movies with my kids because school was cancelled, slowly cleaning up the remnants of a gigantic Super Bowl party and... there were leftovers.  Aren't you supposed to spend "Super Monday" eating light and healthy and cleansing your body of the junk you consumed the day before?  Yeah, that didn't happen.  (In fact, with three pounds of shredded cheese that was supposed to get turned into nachos and never did, I made Beer Cheese Soup.  More on that ridiculous-ness later in the week.)  Our party was insane.  It was as if we thought the snow would force us to hibernate for weeks, and therefore we needed every kind of food under the sun to keep us fed.  Shall I list off some of it?  Careful reading, you might throw up.  

Chips and salsa and guacamole and french onion dip, layered taco dip, buffalo chicken dip, nuts of every kind, freshly popped parmesan popcorn, crockpot chex mix, pretzels, homemade soft pretzels with a horseradish cheese dipping sauce, rice and beans and short ribs and empanadas, three gigantic logs of sandwiches from the deli, buffalo wings, stuffed mushrooms, swedish meatballs, italian meatballs, baked ziti, pigs 'n a blanket, fried chicken 'n a biscuit (more on that later too), a bowl of fruit and a tray of veggies (because you have to), a beef chili station, and this:

I'm probably forgetting something (and no, I did NOT make all of that you crazy people).  Of course, we all know how I feel about our friend Lucy's Ham Sandwiches, so obviously they are a staple at any large gathering.  This time, however, a friend sent me this recipe for a pizza roll version with the same sticky, delicious ingredients.  So I had to make both, duh.  They were a hit!  And a fun twist on a family favorite.  I think I will always be partial to the original sandwich, but you must try both at your next gluttonous gathering.  

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Today Tonight: Ramen-crusted Chicken Wings

Next up in my "TODAY tonight" series are these Ramen-crusted Chicken Wings (recipe here).  Carson and PopSugar's Brandi Milloy made these on the show back in March, and he hasn't stopped talking about them since.  Not kidding.  The poor man has been waiting and WAITING for me to make them... he even bought four packets of Ramen Noodles and printed the recipe, leaving it on the counter, multiple times.  Well, four months later, I finally made them!  With his help, thank god, because recipes that require frying tend to overwhelm me.  It's all the steps and the hot, splattering oil... oy.  However, I am so glad we tackled these because they, were, UNREAL.

You end up frying these bad boys twice, which at first concerned me.  I thought the ratio of batter to chicken would be way off.  Yet as you crunch into these (and they are so wonderfully crunchy), you immediately encounter a bite of juicy chicken as well as the perfectly seasoned Ramen-crust.  Served with a spicy dipping sauce (although Carson and I agree that ranch would be great too, because when isn't it), these are a crowd pleaser, no doubt.  Bookmark them for your next gathering, or for the upcoming football season, or for next Tuesday.              

Also, remember the Ramen Burger?

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Buffalo Deviled Eggs

Buffalo sauce.  Will you marry me?  I promise to love you forever and I'll always be true, unless brown sugar bacon tempts me and in that case, LATER.  

My friends and I share a love of buffalo anything.  So when I came across a recipe for deviled eggs, I decided to make them for an afternoon pool party.  We were ALL pleased.  They took no time to assemble, and I even got all fancy and piped the yolk mixture into the egg whites using a plain old freezer bag with the end snipped.  You've got to get a little fancy when you're proposing to a sauce, after all.  Recipe here. 

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Burrata and White Peach Crostini

Hamptons, I can't quit you and your quaint farm stands everywhere you turn.  We went back for a quick weekend trip, and this time I picked up some freshly baked bread, homemade Burrata cheese, juicy white peaches, locally made honey and some fresh basil.  And then I turned it all into a delicious appetizer!  Carson, who is not usually one for the sweet and savory combination, LOVED this.  Everything just came together perfectly.  White peaches aren't overly sweet, but drizzled with a little honey, on top of creamy, salty cheese, on top of crispy bread... it was perfect.  A little earthiness from the basil and a sprinkle of coarse sea salt topped it all off.  I want more.

(**Which isn't saying much, because I want EVERYTHING right now.  Only 4 more weeks left in this pregnancy and I want to eat and sleep the days away... healthy, huh?  Don't worry, though, that's not happening because I'm constantly running after my 22 month-old and there is no more room left in this belly for food.  Move over baby!  Mama wants a thousand cookies.)  

Burrata and White Peach Crostini 

Printable Recipe

Loaf of french bread, thinly sliced on a diagonal

Burrata cheese (ricotta or goat cheese would work well too, me thinks)

Extra virgin olive oil

White peaches, thinly sliced

Honey

Fresh basil, cut into thin strips

Coarse sea salt

Preheat oven to 350.  Brush both sides of bread with olive oil, and place on a baking sheet.  Bake for roughly 15 minutes, flipping bread halfway through cooking process.  Remove from oven when top of bread is lightly golden.  Spread cheese on toast and top with peach slices and basil strips.  Drizzle a small amount of honey and extra virgin olive oil over each and sprinkle with a small amount of coarse sea salt.   

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#VoiceTailgate: Final Three Green Bites

I can't believe there are only two more live shows of The Voice left this season, which means only two more #VoiceTailgates!  We flew to Los Angeles for the final episodes, therefore I've been out of the kitchen and inside the hotel mini fridge (eating snacks only, of course).  So for these last #VoiceTailgates, we're going to take a trip down my blog memory lane.  Won't you come, my neighbor?  Cool, cause you have no choice.

To honor the final three - Josh, Jake and Christina - I found another famous trio of sorts (I'm good at math): Three Green Bites.  It's a favorite appetizer that we always order from this restaurant that I've adapted slightly, and it's easy, delicious and the only way my kids will eat green food.  Besides, there's a little something for everyone.  I might go so far as to compare each bite to the three remaining coaches, because I like nerdy analogies: creamy, cool avocado for Usher... healthy, hip edamame for Adam... and tall, fried food for Blake.  How'd I do?  Did that make sense at all?  Well, it doesn't matter, because you'll enjoy all three, regardless of what final team you're on.           

FINAL 3 GREEN BITES

Tempura Green Beans

(Makes enough batter for many, many green beans)

Printable Recipe

Vegetable oil

Green beans, cleaned and trimmed (I like to use French-style cause they're skinnier)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup light beer (or you could use club soda)

Salt

Soy sauce for dipping

Place 2 inches of vegetable oil (approx. 4 cups) in a deep pot.  Heat oil (over medium-high) until it reaches 350 degrees.  In a shallow bowl, whisk together flour and beer until combined.  Coat about 15 green beans at a time in batter.

Using tongs, place green beans in oil one by one to avoid them sticking together.  Fry for a couple of minutes, until golden brown.

Remove with tongs and place on a paper towel to cool.  Sprinkle with salt to taste.

*Serve Tempura Green Beans with Diced Avocado and Steamed Edamame (which can be found in the frozen food aisle - prepare as directed on package), as well as soy sauce for dipping.

Who do you want to win??

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#VoiceTailgate: Nacho Bites + Grapefruit Cocktail

Our Monday night #VoiceTailgate will be dedicated to Mr. Shelton.  Oh, Blake.  Blake is probably the coach I know best, he's like the tremendously tall older brother from the South I never had.  We all know how funny he is, how well he points at the top of his own head, and how that's probably not Starbucks in his Starbuck's cup during the show.  But what I like best about him is how genuine he is, and how he truly cares about people.  He'll meet any stranger and instantly want to know something about their life.  Even if he annoys the heck out of me by sending me ugly photos of myself he sneakily snaps with his iPhone camera.  So for the giant teddy bear, I thought I'd make something tried and true, and manly, of course, like iddy biddy bite-sized nacho cups.             

(By the way, I did not mean to make that one on top look like a cartoon character.)

Nachos are awesome anyway you make them.  But messy, and almost always accompanied by a cluster of hands reaching and grabbing at the same time.  So I thought, why not make them individual sized?  These are three-bite snacks that can be customized with a variety of toppings.  You can even make a basic nacho, create a toppings bar, and let your guests go to town on their own appetizer.  

THAT'S NACH-YO MAMA'S NACHO!!

I don't, I'm sorry, I had to.  

 I decided to keep these Blake-themed and make them Tex-Mex.  Even though Usher's the one from Texas, not Blake.  But just go with it.  So these are smothered with sweet and spicy BBQ sauce.  Yum.  They would make great Cinco de Mayo party food as well!  

And they are "Blaked," like Blake, but with a "d" at the end.       

"Blaked" BBQ Chicken Nacho Bites

(Makes 12)

Printable Recipe

4 flour tortillas

Cooking spray

2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded 

1/2 cup BBQ sauce

1 cup shredded Mexican cheese

Desired toppings (like diced tomatoes, black olives and chopped cilantro)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter (or a glass similar in size), cut circles out of tortillas.  I was able to cut 3 out of each.  

Spray a regular-sized muffin tin with cooking spray.  Place tortilla rounds into muffin tin, pressing down lightly with fingers to create a small bowl.  Spray top of each tortilla with more cooking spray.  Bake for approximately 10 minutes, until slightly golden around edges.  Remove from oven, and turn heat up to 400 degrees.  

In a small bowl add BBQ sauce to shredded chicken and stir.  Place about a tablespoon of chicken into each tortilla bowl.  Top with cheese.  

Place back in oven, and bake for another 8-10 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.  Carefully remove nacho bites from muffin tins, top with desired toppings and serve.    

On to the liquid portion of our diet.  This is a summer staple in our house, often consumed on our annual camping trip.  It's great with tequila or vodka (definitely Carson's preference), and the combo of grapefruit and pepper is so enticing.  A perfect beverage for your Cinco de Mayo, Blakey Blake #VoiceTailgate.  (Above coasters purchased here.)

Carson's Spicy Grapefruit Cocktail

Printable Recipe

2 parts fresh grapefruit juice

2 parts tequila (or vodka)

1 part cointreau 

Thin slice of Serrano pepper

Shake the above liquids in iced martini shaker and pour into glass if making individual cocktails.  Add a slice of Serrano pepper per glass.  For bigger quantities, pour into closed pitcher that can handle being shaken, then pour over ice in glass.  

*Note: the longer you let the pepper sit in the cocktail, the spicier it will get.  If you remove the seeds from the pepper, it will be less spicy.

*Another note: that is a Jalapeño pepper above because I could not find a Serrano pepper.  Find Serrano peppers, they are better.

*Ohmygosh one more note: if you would like a virgin spicy grapefruit mocktail, omit the alcohol and add fresh lime juice and some simple syrup to taste.

Make sure to watch the Top 8 perform tomorrow night at 8/7 Central on NBC!

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#VoiceTailgate: English Muffin Pizzas + Pimm's Cup

To celebrate the fact that tomorrow night Rixton is performing live on The Voice, our Monday #VoiceTailgate will be all about this particular British Invasion!  I remember very clearly (at least my eardrums do) when The Wanted hit The Voice stage and therefore it's safe to assume that Rixton, a talented pop/rock band from the UK, will most likely make a few women in the audience faint.

UNLESS THOSE WOMEN HAVE THESE ENGLISH MUFFIN PIZZAS IN THEIR STOMACHS!

(I'm working on my segues which, by the way, is a very oddly spelled word).

We make these a lot in our house.  They're simple, fast, and individual - therefore everyone can enjoy a delicious pizza unique to their own tastebuds.  For your tailgate, you can have a variety of pizzas already prepared OR you can create a toppings bar and let people make their own.  Either way, you're guests will say, "Bob's your uncle!? These muffins are the dog's bullock's! I am properly gobsmacked! All is tickety-boo in my world!"  

Um, because your guests will be required to speak using googled British phrases.      

*You might be wondering how "English" English Muffins really are.  Well, Wikipedia says that "despite being considered as quintessentially English, and available in most British supermarkets, they are less widely eaten than crumpets or scones."  By the by (British people say that), what on Earth is a crumpet??  I'm going to ask Rixton.   

For our #VoiceTailgate, we're making Roasted Garlic + Swiss Chard and Mushroom + Sausage Pizzas (I sautéed the swiss chard and mushrooms in olive oil, cooked the sausage until it was nice and crispy and roasted the garlic prior to cooking the pizzas).  Other good toppings would be roasted peppers, olive tapenade, broccolini, burrata, roasted chicken or plain old pepperoni for the kiddos.

(You can also REALLY impress your friends and make Homemade English Muffins.)

English Muffin Pizzas

Printable Recipe

Sliced English muffins

Jar of pizza sauce (or we use a 28oz. can of crushed tomatoes)

Mozzarella cheese

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Desired toppings

Preheat your oven to 450.  Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.  Place English muffins slices on baking sheet, top with pizza sauce, cheese and toppings.  Drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.  Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is golden and bubbly.

On to our proper English-style cocktail.  Pimm's!  You said that with a British accent, didn't you?  The first time I ever had one of these was at a pool party with Carson and his friends, way way way way way back in the day before children and one-piece bathing suits.  A classic English liquor, which tastes a bit like fruit and spices, served often with ginger ale or lemonade and garnished with all sorts of fruits and veggies.  For this tailgate, I will be drinking an "Iced Tea Cup" instead, which doesn't sound as cool in my fake British accent but still tastes delicious.  Cheerio! 

   

Carson's Pimm's Cup
Printable Recipe

Pimm's No. 1 Liqueur (or Iced Tea)
Ginger Ale
Ice
Assorted sliced fruits and veggies like apples, oranges, lemons, strawberries, raspberries or rhubarb
Sprig of rosemary for garnish

Place ice in tall glass.  Fill halfway with Pimm's (or Iced Tea) and the rest of the way with ginger ale.  Stir well.  Add desired fruits and veggies.

*Note: it can be easier to make a large pitcher of this, still using the half and half ratio.  Fill glasses with ice and fruit/veggies and then pour in Pimm's mixture.

Have fun watching the Top 10 tomorrow night on NBC at 8/7 Central!

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Roasted Broccoli and Hummus Toasts

You guys know how much I like broccoli, so it should be no surprise that this might be my new favorite appetizer in the history of the World of Appetizers.  There's a world, it exists.  I was inspired by a recipe in Bon Appetit for Spiced Sweet Potato and Roasted Broccoli Toasts, and I adapted it to fit the ingredients I had on hand.  You probably have these ingredients on hand, too!  It was such a fun departure from plain old cheese and crackers, NOT that there's anything wrong with that (hashtag: Wisconsin Alumni).  The basil and lemon juice brightened the whole thing up, and the toasted pine nuts paired perfectly with the flavors in the hummus.  It's an easy starter dish that you could prepare ahead of time and throw on warm toast at the last minute.  And then you will be crowned Queen of the World of Appetizers.

Roasted Broccoli and Hummus Toasts

(Makes 12 toasts)

Printable Recipe

1 head broccoli, chopped into florets

6 T olive oil, divided, plus more for bread

Sea salt and pepper

1 T lemon juice (about 1/2 a lemon)

1 heaping T fresh basil, chopped

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted until golden brown

3 slices sourdough toast (or a dozen slices from a baguette)

Hummus

Preheat oven to 425.  Toss broccoli with 2 tablespoons of the oil and season with salt and pepper.  Roast for 15-20 minutes.  Let cool, and then coarsely chop (turn oven down to 400).  In a medium bowl, toss chopped broccoli with lemon juice, basil and pine nuts.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Brush olive oil on both sides of bread, and toast in the oven until golden brown, flipping once.  Spread desired amount of hummus on toast, and top with broccoli mixture.  Cut into fourths and serve warm.

*Broccoli can be prepared ahead of time, but appetizer tastes best when toasts are warm.    

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