Party Fun

Mediterranean Dip With Toasted Pita Chips

This dip is a little bit Greek and Italian, hence the Mediterranean reference. It’s a much healthier dip than the ones laden with mayonnaise and sour cream. Not that those dips aren’t good, it’s just that we can’t eat them all the time. This dip uses canellini beans which have fiber, a good thing. It can be served with toasted pita chips or crostini, or any sturdy chip. I will also include a recipe to make your own Toasted Pita Chips. It’s so easy! And if you use the low carb pita chips you can save more calories and add more fiber! But if you don’t have to worry about calories or fiber go all the way with the full fat stuff! (I wish I could!)

DIP

INGREDIENTS:

1 can (15oz.) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

4 ounces feta cheese (I use light Feta)

1 container (6-7 oz.) plain Greek-style yogurt (any brand is fine)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

¼ cup finely chopped fresh dill

1 large clove garlic, minced

coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste


DIRECTIONS:

1. In a food processor put the beans, feta cheese, yogurt, garlic and lemon juice. Puree until smooth.

2. Transfer to a bowl and add the chopped dill. Season with the salt and pepper as you like.

Serve right away or store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Makes 2 cups


TOASTED PITA CHIPS

INGREDIENTS

8 Pita Rounds

olive oil

dried oregano

garlic powder

coarse salt and freshly ground pepper


DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Split the pita rounds horizontally, then cut each piece in half. Or just cut into wedge shapes and separate the pita. Depends on how big you want the chips

2. Brush with olive oil and season with the oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

3. Bake on a lightly sprayed cookie sheet, until golden brown, 12-15 minutes.

**UPDATE: 7/12/10** I just made this dip and chips. Delicious! So tasty and the chips came out great! Though I may have put too much salt on them, but then again, I love salt.

Sparkling Summer Sangria

It’s summertime! Just in case you were living under a rock I thought I’d mention that! And what better to cool off on a hot steamy day than with a pitcher of refreshing Sangria! This recipe is a white sangria and uses my favorite sparkling beverage, Prosecco. Have some friends over and share!


INGREDIENTS:

1 peach, pitted and cut into wedges

1 nectarine, pitted and cut into wedges

3 apricots, pitted and cut into wedges

5 ounces peach brandy

1 bottle (750ml) chilled Prosecco

1 cup peach nectar

Extra fresh sliced peaches for garnish


DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large pitcher, combine the peach, nectarine and apricots.

2. Stir in peach brandy and let it sit in refrigerator at least 1 hour. (If you can let it sit overnight that is always good!)

3. After it’s thoroughly chilled stir in the Prosecco and peach nectar. Serve in wine glasses.Garnish with a slice of peach on a decorative toothpick.

Fourth of July Food For Kids

This is a long holiday weekend and sometimes we tend to forget kids are involved as well. Not all of us have our own kids but we have family and friends who do. So check out this great little e-book of food and snacks for the younger generation. It’s got easy and kid-friendly recipes that even the big kids will love!

Sample Recipes:

4th of July Fruit Kabobs

• Bananas • Strawberries • Large Fresh Blueberries • Kabob Skewers

Slice bananas into large chunks. Alternate fruit on skewers Serve immediately

Pretzel Sparklers

• Long rod pretzels • White chocolate, melted • Sprinkles (red, white and blue) or star cake decorations

Melt the white chocolate. Dip the pretzel rod halfway into the melted chocolate then sprinkle the sprinkles over the wet chocolate. Lay on waxed paper or place in a cup to dry.

Popsicle Rockets

• Red juice (red raspberry, cherry, cranberry) • Blue juice (blue Kool Aid, Gatorade, blue raspberry) • White juice (lemonade, coconut juice drink) • Red string licorice for fuse • 3 oz. paper cups • Popsicle Sticks

Line up several 3 oz. paper cups on a baking sheet. Pour 2 tablespoons of red juice into each cup. Freeze 2-3 hours until firm-slushy. Remove from freezer and poke a Popsicle stick into the center of each cup of juice. Add 2 tablespoons of white juice and freeze 2-3 hours. Remove from freezer. Top off with blue juice and freeze 1-2 hours until slushy.

Remove from freezer and insert a 2 or 3-inch string of licorice into each Popsicle. Freeze until hard. Peel off paper cups to serve.

So click on the Flag below and you can download a free recipe book!

And don’t forget to check my website as it grows! www.cucinadiandrea.com

Easy Bark Candy

Bark Candy is a really tasty snack if you like chocolate and nuts. I love both so it’s a win-win! And when you make it in the microwave it’s even better because it only takes a few minutes! Quick, easy, delicious! You can use any kind of confectioners’ or candy coating flavor and any kind of nut you want! So decide what you want and get nuking!

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound confectioner’s or candy coating (vanilla, chocolate, butterscotch or caramel)

1 cup of any of the following nuts: roasted, salted nuts (unblanched almonds, peanuts, walnuts, pecans or mixed nuts), sunflower seeds, soya nuts or raisins! Or mix it up and use a little of each or whichever combo you wish!

DIRECTIONS:

1. If the candy coating is in a solid block/piece break it into squares. Place in a single layer in a 2 quart casserole.

2. Microwave at 50% power (medium) for 3-5 minutes, until pieces are soft. Stirring after 3 minutes until all softened.

3. Add nuts, seeds or raisins. Stir until candy coating is smooth and completely melted.

4. Spread on wax paper (on a flat cookie sheet) to ¼” thickness. Cool until hard, then break into pieces.

Guacamole Genua Style

I love guacamole! (I think I’ll marry it!- inside joke) I always thought it was so hard to make until my cousins Linda and Kim showed me how when they were visiting me. Ever since then I was hooked on making it myself. I am always looking for the sale on the Hass avocados. They are the best to use. There are other larger avocados out there but they just don’t do it for me. The color is wrong too and the taste is bland. So stick to the Hass. They are usually from California but lately the ones I’ve bought have been from Mexico. Still really good. I make guacamole at least once a week! It goes great on so many things other than chips. Sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, chicken, steak, you name it. I also bought one of those avocado slicers to make the slicing easier, but it’s just as easy to score and then scoop out the avocado with a large spoon. Though it is actually good for getting the pit out without cutting open your hand and getting blood all over the guac.  But you can just cut open an avocado by slicing all the way around the long way and twist the two halves apart. Then take a sharp knife and whack the seed with it till it sticks in and twist. Just don’t whack your hand in the process! The seed should come right out. And I planted one recently, I had to see if I could actually grow it. It works! Just waiting for fruit! (See picture below) Though that might not happen but we will see! As soon as I finish writing this I am going to make another batch as well! And when you buy avocados pick ones that are a nice color and firm. If they are already soft you will have to use them right away. They take a day or so to soften on the counter, once they do put them in the fridge and use in few days. They should not be mushy! Mushy is bad. I also make mine half mashed and half chunky. But if you don’t like chunks mash away!

 

INGREDIENTS:

2 large Hass avocados

1 large plum tomato (halved, seeded and chopped)

¼ cup chopped red onion

1 tablespoon cilantro (or ½ cup fresh chopped)

juice of 1 lime or lemon

¼ cup jalapeños, chopped (I use the pickled ones in the jar but fresh is good too!) If this is too hot for you lessen or leave out.

2 cloves garlic, minced or chopped

1 teaspoon kosher salt (regular will be fine if you don’t have the Kosher)


DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut open the avocado and slice and chop one of them and place in a large bowl. Do the same with the second one but set aside.

2. Mash the avocado in the large bowl with a fork till all mashed up. Add the rest of the ingredients as well as the unmashed avocado and mix gently with a spoon so you don’t mash all the chunks. (Unless you want it all mashed!)

3. Chill and serve in a few hours. If you will be waiting longer to serve place a piece of wax paper over the top of the guacamole in a container and cover tightly. It will start to turn brown from oxidation if you don’t do this. Also adding a little more lime juice will help. If it does start to turn just mix it up, there’s nothing wrong with it, just won’t look as pretty.

Regular Avocado

Non-Hass Avocado

Kanpai

Kanpai translates into an equivalent of the word “cheers” when making a toast. I actually thought it was spelled differently but who am I say it’s wrong. Either way I came across a cocktail by this name and it sounds so good I can’t wait to try it on my own. I just have to get a few of the ingredients and I’ll give my review of it once I make it. It is a peachy looking color and sounds so refreshing for a hot summer day. This recipe is supposedly from the high-end Japanese restaurant “Megu NYC”. I have never heard of it but then again I’m not on the élite list that dines in high-end Japanese restaurants in NYC! It has saké in it. Not a problem for me. And what makes it even more inviting to me is that it is a sparkling saké! My downfall. Love sparkling saké and of course it’s much higher in calories. Figures! This recipe of course calls for high-end sparkling saké. But I will be using the cheaper version. If anyone tries it before I do please let me know on this blog in a comment if you liked it or not! Sparkling saké is also a great saké for people who think they don’t like saké. It’s sweeter and not so harsh when you first drink it like so many house sakés are. Most people associate saké with the hot variety. I have found out that most of those hot sakés are the cheaper sakés and they need to heat it to make it taste better! I only use the hot saké for sake bombs now! Cold or room temperature all the way these days. I just texted John who is on his way home from New York and told him about this drink and he is ready to try it this weekend! So I will update everyone once we have a verdict!

P.S. I just looked up the restaurant Megu NYC and it seems to be a fave of the Twilight cast when in NYC. Oh boy!

INGREDIENTS:

5 raspberries, muddled

1 ounce Bacardi Lite

1 ounce pineapple juice

1-2 ounces sparkling saké (they usually come in small bottles for as little as $5 at most wine/liquor stores)


DIRECTIONS:

Put all ingredients except for the saké into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously, then strain into a chilled martini glass. Top with the sparkling saké!

Makes 1 drink

**DON’T FORGET TO VISIT www.cucinadiandrea.com!

Still in progress but check it out anyway!

Marshmallow Crispy Bars

I think just about everyone out there has had Rice Krispie treats at one point in their life. Well today’s recipe is done completely in the microwave oven! No pots involved! The only pan used is the one we’re going to be cooking in! How cool is that! I am also going to give a few variations on the traditional kind. So get your microwave all cleaned up and let’s go! Oh and don’t forget to throw some flour on you and on your face to make it look like you slaved all day on these!

INGREDIENTS:

¼ cup butter or margarine (I would actually use a butter substitute, in stick form for this to save some calories)

5 cups miniature or 40 large marshmallows

¼ teaspoon salt

5 cups crispy rice cereal


DIRECTIONS:

1. Melt the butter in an 8 x 8 inch glass/ceramic dish on HIGH power for 45-60 seconds. Stir in marshmallows and salt.

2. Microwave 1½-2 minutes on HIGH power until soft and melted, stirring after 1 minute. Stir every 30 seconds until completely smooth.

3. Add the cereal, 1/3 at a time, stirring with a fork until well coated. Press into dish with the fork. Cool, then cut into 1¼ inch squares.

Makes 36 squares


VARIATIONS:

Marshmallow-Peanut Bars: Completely stir in 1 cup salted peanuts after the cereal.

Peanut Butter-Marshamallow Bars: Add ¼ cup peanut butter with the marshmallows.

Chocolate-Peanut Bars: Add ¼ cup peanut butter and ½ cup chocolate chips with the marshmallows.

Stuffed Mushrooms

It’s been a while since I’ve had or made stuffed mushrooms. There are so many different versions for this recipe. This is a basic Italian recipe. You can use different mushrooms and even add bacon or chopped shrimp or other ingredients if you wish. You can even make a mexican version by using cheddar cheese and some salsa or tomatoes. Make it your own, have fun with them. I also use a lot more garlic than recipes usually call for so if it’s too much for you just cut the garlic amount in half. In my house there is no such thing as too much garlic! Keeps the vampires away!

INGREDIENTS:

36 large cremini or white mushrooms (about 2½ pounds)

1½ cups Italian style bread crumbs

½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (or other grated cheese)

4 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

salt and fresh ground pepper

½ cup olive oil


DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Oil one or two baking pans large enough to hold the mushrooms in a single layer.

2. Wash the mushrooms quickly under running water and pat dry right away. (Don’t let them soak, or they will get waterlogged.) Snap off or cut off the stems and set aside.

3. Arrange the mushroom caps upside down in the prepared pans. (Stem side is up)

4. Trim off the ends of the stems, chop and place in a bowl. Add the bread crumbs, cheese, garlic, parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the oil.

5. Spoon the crumb mixture into the mushroom caps. Bake the mushrooms for 18-20 minutes or until tender.

Serve hot

Serves 12

Ice Cream White Russians

This drink is easily a contributor to the usual Freshman 15 gained at college. Then again I didn’t discover this drink till Senior year I believe. Some of you will (SUCO Grads!) remember this delicious and decadent concoction from Red’s Filling Station in downtown Oneonta, NY. No it was not a gas station people! It was a bar. What else was Oneonta known for! Anyway, I remember a warm spring day (yes we did have them on occasion), going down to Red’s one Friday afternoon with my BFF Rose. I think we may have been going for what was called “sours”. It’s basically happy hour. Not really sure why it was called “sours” but it was. Well when we arrived at Red’s they had a special drink called an Ice Cream White Russian. Sounded good. I liked ice cream and I liked White Russians. So how bad could it be? It was like a White Russian milkshake really. They served them in large beer mugs with a straw! Boy did they go down smooth! Refreshing, delightful, delicious…But on the other hand LOADED with calories. But we were 20 somethings and we didn’t care about the calories back then. I did the math for this delight (I was curious) and this drink packs a whopping 444 calories, 16 grams of fat, 43 grams of carbs! But it has 1 gram of fiber and 5 grams of protein! Ok so the bad outweighs the good. But if you use low-calorie ice cream you can trim some of the bad away! But once you have one of these it won’t matter! It’s probably been 25 years since I had one but I still remember it like it was yesterday! Oh yeah and if you want, top with whipped cream! Why not!!

Red's Filling Station, Oneonta, NY (1983)

INGREDIENTS:

1 pint vanilla ice cream (of choice), softened

2 oz. vodka

2 oz. Kahlua


DIRECTIONS:

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth but thick.

2. Pour into chilled beer mugs or tall chilled glasses.

Makes 2 drinks

You can make this stretch to 4 drinks if you serve in smaller glasses.

Liverwurst Pate

Stop wrinkling your noses! It’s good! It’s actually really really good! I used to make this quite a bit and end up eating most of it myself. Not good! I’ve made this for many kinds of parties and it always raises eyebrows until you try it. One year I made it in the shape of a football for our Superbowl party and used olives slivers as the lacing on the football. It is usually served best with crackers but it works well with celery and carrots as well. It is NOT a low-calorie dish either. (Though it is low carb actually) I do use the light cream cheese and light sour cream to help a little bit. I’m getting a craving for it right now just thinking about it! Our friend Kevin Dery loved it when he had it at one of our parties.

Liverwurst Pate

INGREDIENTS:

8 ounces liverwurst (I use the tubes of Jones liverwurst)

1 package (80z) light cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

2-3 tablespoons light sour cream

½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

¼ teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Stuffed green olives for garnish, if desired


DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix the liverwurst, half  of the cream cheese, onion, sour cream, Worcestershire sauce and hot pepper sauce, combining well. (I do this in a food processor)

2. Place pâté mixture onto a serving dish or in a serving container of choice. Place dish or container in the freezer for about 15 minutes until firmed up.

3. Remove dish from freezer and ‘frost’ with remaining softened cream cheese. (I microwave the cream cheese till it’s spreadable like frosting. Microwave at 10 second intervals to get it soft enough to spread easily.)

4. Slice olives and decorate on pâté as you wish. Serve with crackers or raw vegetables.

Makes 16 servings

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