Festive Drinks and Merriment

We hosted out Annual Holiday Bash last weekend! Over 30 people RSVP'd! We had promised "Food and General Merriment" on the invite, so we had to deliver. One of my favorite things to make for a large party, or any party really, is Sangria! It is very impressive and so easy to make! Also easy to increase the amount for a crowd!

Red Sangria

1 750mL bottle Carlo Rossi Sangria Wine
1/4 cup peach shnapps or brandy
1/4 cup triple sec
2 Tbsp. lime juice
2 Tbsp. orange juice
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 orange sliced thin
1/2 lime sliced thin
1/2 lemon sliced thin
1 apple (unpeeled) sliced thin
1 bottle ginger ale

Mix all ingredients except gingerale together in a large pitcher and let sit overnight! Serve over ice and top with ginger ale. The fruit in this can be switched out for different seasons. For my summer party I used all the citrus fruits and granny smith apples. For the Holiday I used pears and cranberries. The cranberries added a festive element and looked so pretty!

Drinking sangria while decorating cookies is fun too!

Cook It Up Quick!

There are some nights where I don't mind taking an hour to cook a delicious meal. But then there are the rest of the nights when I want it over and done in 30 minutes! This recipe seems like it would take a while too cook, it has 13 ingredients after all! But it cooks up in no time and is very tasty. Would be good over pasta with more of a sauce, or cold as a quick salad. 

Seared Shrimp with White Beans

Serves 2

Ingredients

8-10 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 can canellini beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup chicken stock
1 sprig of fresh rosemary 

Olive oil

1 small yellow onion, small dice

5 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 cup of fresh diced grape tomato
2 handfuls baby spinach, rough chop
1/2 tsp dried basil or 4 fresh leaves chopped
1/2 lemon
Salt and pepper, to taste

Pinch red pepper flakes

Cook beans and chicken stock in a skillet over low heat with salt, pepper, and rosemary. Keep the bean mixture over low heat, it will thicken up a bit. Don't forget to stir and add more chicken stock if needed.

In a separate pan heat one tablespoon of oil over medium high heat. Season shrimp with salt and pepper. When pan is hot add shrimp all at once, cooking about 1 minute on each side. Remove shrimp from pan and set aside. 

In the same pan as the shrimp, heat another tablespoon of olive oil. Add onion and saute until softened. Add garlic, basil, and red pepper flake, let cook until softened, then add tomatoes. When the tomatoes have let out most of their juice add the contents of this pan to the bean mixture. Add shrimp and spinach and cook until heated through, add a squeeze of lemon juice and season to taste. Serve in bowls with a piece of crusty bread.

I made this dinner into a date night with the help of candles and sparkle!

Easiest Crowd Pleasing Appetizer

Well the holidays are upon us! Sorry to have left you all in the dark, battling a cold kept me from cooking meals and then out social calendar blew up and we have been eating away from home! But I am back with one of my favorite easy appetizers. This is a good one to bring to a crowded party, they are good room temperature and are vegetarian.

Stuffed Mushrooms

1 large box button or cremini mushrooms
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1 red or green pepper
1 cup bread crumbs
garlic powder
dried or fresh parsley
salt and pepper

Clean and stem mushrooms, reserving stems. Set mushroom caps in a 9x13 pan. Chop pepper and reserved mushroom stems into a small dice. Melt butter in frying pan. Add peppers and mushrooms and cook until softened, seasoning with garlic, salt, pepper, and parsley. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup breadcrumbs. Add remaining breadcrumbs until mixture is just comes together and is able to be used as stuffing. Using a spoon pack filling into mushroom caps, I like to mound it up because it will shrink during baking. Dot pan with butter and bake at 400 F for 20-30 minutes.

Little army of party pleasers!

Healthy Pumpkin Muffins

What to do with the extra cans of pumpkin I bought for Thanksgiving? After making pumpkin pancakes I thought of muffins! But with the holidays upon us I didn't want these to be a dessert, we have to keep something healthy! Without many changes to the original recipe I was able to accomplish this without losing one ounce of flavor!! These muffins are moist and delicious, a big hit with the hubby!

mmm look at that chocolate goodness

Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
makes 12 muffins

3/4 Cup whole wheat flour
3/4 Cup all purpose flour1
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
1/3 cup vegetable or olive oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips or walnuts
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F. Line or spray muffin tip cups with non-stick cooking spray.

Whisk together flour and baking powder in a small bowl, set aside. Whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs, spices, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until smooth, then whisk in flour mixture until just combined. Divide batter among muffin cups (each should be about 3/4 full). Bake 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes, then transfer muffins from pan to rack and cool to warm or room temperature.

Crazy Pizza Bread

When I came across this recipe I wasn't sure what to expect. It seemed odd and like the name, a bit crazy. But Thanksgiving was coming up and I wanted to try something new to have while watching the Dog Show. Boy am I glad I made this! I have a feeling it is going to become famous at my parties from now on! Check out the recipe below and the changes I made.

Why yes, that is ooey gooey cheese bursting out the side of the loaf!

Crazy Pizza Bread

Ingredients
1 teaspoon yeast
3/4 cup warm water
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups favorite toppings, chopped small ( I used stick pepperoni, red peppers, green peppers, sauteed garlic)
4 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil

Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a bowl. Let it sit for 3 minutes until foamy, then add in flour and salt. Mix (using a mixer, spoon, or your hands) just until it comes together. Add in the toppings and combine well. Dough will be tacky.  Let rise for about 1 hour, then put in the refrigerator for another hour.

Take the dough out of the refrigerator and flour a Silpat or waxed paper. Roll out into a rectangle about 11×17”. Sprinkle cheese over top. Then, using the Silpat or paper, fold into thirds the long way. Seal sides so cheese is not exposed. Let rest while you preheat oven to 450 degrees. Let oven stay at 450 degrees for 20 minutes.

Bake the bread, either on a pizza stone or baking sheet, for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. About 3 minutes before taking it out, lightly brush the top with olive oil and let it finish baking. Let rest on a wire rack to cool slightly before slicing.

Next time I make this I will add roasted garlic and caramelized onions. This bread is best served hot, I personally liked it as a pizza "biscotti" where I sliced the loaves into one inch pieces and toasted before serving. I would also serve with marinara sauce next time. This is seriously good stuff people.

Crunchy Sweet Potato Fries!

No, really....crunchy sweet potato fries! It's possible, with a little magic! Thanks to Martha I now know the secret behind them. I will save you the suspense, its egg whites! Read on for the recipe.

 

Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients
2 medium sweet potatoes
1 egg white
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp each cayenne pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder

Heat oven to 400° F. Peel sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch slices. Whisk egg white until frothy, add spices and whip to combine. Toss sweet potato sticks in egg white. Transfer in a single layer to a parchment lined baking sheet, shaking to remove excess egg. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown and crunchy.

I served these up with a simple grilled flank steak, corn, and spinach. What a tasty meal!