Category: Appetizers and Sides

Garlic Head Toast

  1. Cut off the top of an entire head of garlic.
  2. Place on crumpled foil so it stays upright.
  3. Add salt and pepper, then drizzle with olive oil.
  4. Carefully close the foil and bake at 425º for 60 minutes.
  5. Squeeze out garlic meat and spread on toast.
  6. Garnish with oregano or chives.

Alcaparrado

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 can green olives (drained)
  • 1/2 can black olives (drained) – OPTIONAL
  • 1/2 can Kalamata olives (drained)
  • 8 OZ small capers, chopped (drained)
  • 1 red bell pepper, minced
  • 1/4 C red wine or white vinegar
  • 1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper or to taste

STEP BY STEP

  • Blister your red bell pepper over a hot gas flame or in the oven broiler.  Cook until it is at least half blackened.  Wrap in foil and let steam for 5 minutes.
  • Combine all other ingredients and toss to mix.
  • Heat on your stove until just simmering, then remove from heat.
  • Peel your bell pepper (DO NOT RINSE) and chop into pieces.
  • Add bell pepper to your mixture
  • Transfer to small sized canning jars.
  • These will keep for a couple of months.

 

Marinated Mushrooms

  • 2 C water
  • 1 C white wine
  • 8 pieces orange peel
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 TBL fresh rosemary
  • 2 bay leaves
  • salt
  • 1 tsp crushed red pepper
  1. Bring above to a boil.
  2. Fresh champignon mushrooms – meaty.
  3. Toss mushrooms to cover.
  4. Put into glass jar with liquid.
  5. Marinate overnight.

Dress the Mushrooms

  • Strain liquid from mushrooms
  • Remove large pieces of spices
  • 2 TBL parsley
  • 1 TBL olive oil
  1. Toss mushrooms in parsley and olive mixture.
  2. Serve in a pretty bowl.
  3. Suggestion:  For appetizer, stab some of them with toothpicks.

Sweet Pepper Slaw

  1. Slice red, yellow and green mini peppers into thin strips
  2. Toss in julienne strips of carrots
  3. Boil 1/2 C cider vinegar and 1/2 C water
  4. Add 1 TBL sugar and 3 cloves of garlic
  5. Stir to dissolve
  6. Pour hot liquid over peppers and toss
  7. Let wilt for about 5 minutes
  8. Add 2 TBL honey and stir to dissolve
  9. Allow to cool while slicing English cucumber into thin medallions or strips
  10. Chop cilantro – leaves and stems
  11. Toss all together and let rest for 20 minutes before serving

Great as a side to chicken or pork

Collins Cole Slaw

Collins-inspired Scratch Cole Slaw

– – – This is a recipe created after watching Christopher Collins on AZ Family.  It’s a bit different than his, but he offered some great insights that I’d not thought of.

  • 1/2 cabbage – sliced thin
  • 1/3 C mayo or Miracle Whip
  • 2 TBL apple cider vinegar
  • 2 TBL sugar – cream in with mayo
  • 2 TBL sour cream
  • 2 tsp buttermilk
  • 1 tsp prepared horseradish
  • 1 TBL coarse Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tsp dry mustard
  • 1 tsp dill pickle relish
  • 1/2 tsp celery salt
  • 1 tsp chives or scallions (chopped)
  • several sprigs of cilantro (chopped)
  • scant black pepper – to taste

Toss and let meld for at least an hour

Classic Cole Slaw

Classic Cole Slaw

INGREDIENTS
  • Cabbage
  • 2 TBL sugar
  • 2 TBL rice vinegar (non seasoned)
  • 1 TBL Grey Goupon or Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire
  • 1 C plain yogurt
  • garlic powder
  • all spice
  • basil
  • oregano
  • cayenne pepper
  • dill ½ minced red pepper
  • ½ purple onion
Slice cabbage thinly, float in ice water and salt 15 min, drain. Mix ingredients with cabbage and let set 24 hours in frig.

Dad’s Cole Slaw

Not the dad of my grandkids… MY DAD.  This is the recipe from Great Grandpa Andrews.

Dad’s Cole Slaw

19

This recipe is from Grandpa’s Father, Dan.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 Cabbage (chopped mighty thin)
  • 1/4 Red cabbage
  • 3 chives – chopped small
  • 1/2 small Green Pepper
  • 1/2 small sweet onion
  • 1 small carrot

STEP BY STEP

  1. Slice cabbage ‘mighty thin’
  2. Float in ice water and salt 15 min
  3. While it is soaking, cut thin strips of green pepper and onion
  4. Use peeler and peel short strips of carrot
  5. Drain sliced cabbage very well, pat dry with towel.
  6. Combine with other vegetables
  7. Toss / mix
  8. Add dressing, and mix until smooth

DRESSING

  • 1 C Miracle Whip Light
  • 1/4 C Honey – alt = Sugar
  • 2 TBL apple cider vinegar (Heat if using granulated sugar)
    Mix sugar, then cool before mixing
  • 2 TBL Vegetable oil
  • 1 TBL dry hot mustard or 2 TBL dijon
  • 1 tsp prepared horseradish
  • 2 tsp dill
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp Worcestershire
  • 2 tsp basil chiffonade

This is always better if you let it meld at least two hours before serving.
The taste should be sweet with just a hint of vinegar.

Vegetable Salsa Bed

This is good for fish, scallops, rare meat… many different main courses.

Ingredients

  • 2 tsp each:  EVOO, garlic, ginger (saute together, then add yellow pepper
  • Fresh veggies:  To your personal taste:  yellow tomatoes, shallots, jalapeños, cucumber, carrot, Japanese sake

Plate the salsa, top with the protein and surround with cherry or compari tomatoes.

Tempura Veggie

Batter:

  • 1 C flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 C lowfat buttermilk

1/2 inch safflower oil in fry pan at 365º

  1. Decide on veggie:  () thin asparagus spears () mushroom slices () zucchini slices () Brussel sprout leaves () broccoli

Dip in flour, then batter, then hot oil

Fried Polenta

INGREDIENTS

  • 6 C water or chicken broth
  • 2 C polenta
  • 1 T salt

STEP BY STEP

  1. Bring liquid to a near boil
  2. Slowly add polenta, stirring constantly
  3. Simmer for 45 minutes, stirring frequently
  4. Stir in 3 T butter
  5. Pour into pan lined with parchment paper
  6. Cool in fridge overnight
  7. Cut into shapes
  8. Fry to brown and serve with ricotta or goat cheese and tomatoes

Fire Roasted Pepper Salad

INGREDIENTS

  • Red bell pepper
  • Yellow bell pepper
  • Poblano pepper
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 tsp EVOO
  • 2 TBL honey
  • 1/2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 dash Worcestershire
  • 1/4 C chopped fresh cilantro
  • Pepper and salt to taste

STEP BY STEP

  1. Blacken peppers under broiler or over open flame
    or in oven at 500º for about 10 minutes
  2. Put into plastic bag to sweat for 5 minutes
  3. Peel off skin – do not rinse under water
  4. Cut into strips
  5. Toss with all other ingredients
  6. Serve as a side to any protein

Shortbread Cookies

  • 1 1/2 C AP flour
  • 1/2 C powdered sugar
  • 2/3 C butter – cold
  • Sprinkles or Turbinado sugar
  1. Preheat oven to 350º
  2. Sift together flour and powdered sugar
  3. Use a pastry blender and cut in cold butter
    Cut until mixture resembles cornmeal
  4. Gently form into a ball
  5. Roll dough flat – about 1/4 inch thick
  6. Sprinkle with decorating sugar or sprinkles
  7. Cut dough into 1 inch x 2 inch strips
  8. Arrange 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet
  9. Bake 15-18 minutes or until edges begin to brown
  10. Let cool 5 minutes, then carefully move to wire rack to cool completely
  11. Store at room temperature for a week, the refrigerator for a month, or the freezer for 6 months

Tips: Edible Colors

Here is a list of things that you can use to color food items, rather than food coloring.

  • Red – Beet juice
  • Red – Tomato Paste
  • Green – Pesto
  • Green – Blanched Spinach
  • Orange – Colorante (Amazon)
  • Yellow – Colorante (scant)
  • Black – Activated Charcoal
  • Black – Squid Ink

… and you can always use food coloring

Here is an example:
Color pie dough whatever color you like and roll thinly
Spray with Pam
Use metal spoons to form edible spoons – or use binder clips
Bake wrapped in foil – 5 minutes @ 350º

Put appetizers in the spoons

  • Shred radish
  • Olive tapenade mix
  • Tomato
  • Proscuitto
  • Black River caviar
  • Kalamata olives
  • Salmon with creme fresh
  • Fois gras
  • Cheese
  •  

Puff Pastry Appetizers

Pinwheel Appetizers

  • 1/2 sheet puff pastry
  • 1 layer of Proscuitto
  • 1 layer of Gruyere cheese
  • Basil
  • Egg wash on bare leading edge and roll into a log, then press to seal
  • Wrap firmly in Saran Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes
  • Slice into 3/4 inch disks and lay on a baking sheet
  • Bake 400º for 15 minutes

Jalapeño Snake Bite Appetizers

  • Cut puff pastry into rounds using a small biscuit cutter or cut them into 1-2 inch squares – DO NOT TWIST or it will seal the edges.  Just press down.
  • Add manchego cheese
  • A slice of jalapeño
  • Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese
  • Bake at 400º for 10 minutes

Cheese Straws

  • Thaw a sheet of puff pastry
  • Roll just to flatten and shape
  • Brush entire top with melted butter
  • Sprinkle with shredded cheese – cheddar and Parmesan
  • Merest sprinkle of cayenne pepper or ground red pepper
  • Use rolling pin to press lightly into puff pastry
  • Cut into 12 strips (same direction as the seam)
  • Twist 5 times and place on a baking sheet
  • Put into freezer for 10-15 minutes
  • Spot-brush with egg wash plain sides
  • Sprinkle with a bit of extra parm cheese
  • Bake 400º for 12 minutes

Personal Pizza Bites

  1. Thaw a sheet of puff pastry.
  2. Use a biscuit cutter to cut circles.
    NOTE:  Press, but do not twist the cutter.  Twisting it will seal the puff pastry and it will not rise as well.
  3. Top mini-pizzas with a bit of goat cheese and a halved cherry tomato.
  4. Bake at 375º for 20 minutes
  5. Add a fresh basil leaf chiffonade and drizzle on a bit of EVOO.

Bacon Cheese Twists

  1. Lay out a piece of puff pastry
  2. Brush the top with Dijon mustard
  3. Sprinkle shredded white cheddar over the mustard
  4. Add thyme, paprika and Grandpa's Thunder Powder or Arghhh Powder to the top
  5. Press above ingredients firmly into the puff pastry
  6. Cut pastry into 3/4 – 1 inch strips using a pizza cutter
  7. Add a strip of uncooked bacon on top
  8. Twist into strips (about 3 times)
  9. Bake at 400º for 15-18 minutes
  10. Serve with a Dijon-aise dip
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