Spicy Goldfish Crackers | Friday Night Bites

Don’t you just love the “easy breezy” appetizers?  I certainly do.  Lately I have been snacking on those little golden nuggets that we have all grown to love – the iconic “gold fish” crackers.  They are portable, tasty and extremely satisfying.  On the way home from work one evening, I was contemplating my next Friday Night Bite and then it came to me.  I love those gold fish, so why not elevate them to the next level. 

I had the general concept in my head, just needed to put together the right combination of flavors.  Digging through my pantry, I stumbled upon a packet of Good Seasonings Zesty Italian Salad Dressing mix and that would become the base for this quick snack.  The result was a delicious and straightforward treat.  The recipe makes quite a generous amount, so I brought some to my office and saved the rest for hubby and me to snack on.

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With the holiday season right around the corner, hubby and I are getting into the spirit this year.  We absolutely love movies on the Hallmark Channel.  I am so lucky that hubby enjoys the feel good movies as much as me.  One of us will look over at the other and ask – “do you have a tear in your eye?” Often the response is – “Yes, do you?” and then we both acknowledge that we are both suckers for a sappy movie.

If you love happy, feel good movies with a great message woven throughout, then you probably already watch Hallmark.  If you have not indulged in the world of Hallmark movies, then I urge you to check it out.  Currently we are enjoying the “Countdown to Christmas” with 12 original new movies for 2013.  I believe we have one new movie in our cue to watch and it sounds like a perfect start to the weekend along with enjoying our Friday Night Bites.

Spicy Goldfish Crackers

10 Cups Goldfish Crackers

¾ Cup Olive Oil or Canola Oil

1 Package Good Seasonings Zesty Italian Salad Dressing Mix

1 teaspoon Garlic Powder

1 teaspoon Lemon Pepper

1 teaspoon Dill Weed

1 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper (use half if less spicy is desired)

Mix the oil and spices together in a large bowl.  Add the goldfish and mix well.  Spread over two large sheet pans with sides.  Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and toss gently.  Let cool.  Store in an airtight container or plastic freezer bags.

Roasted Red Pepper & Manchego Pinwheels | Friday Night Bites

It has been quite chilly in the Bay Area the last week.  Our fire place is running each night and the warm fuzzy blankets are out in full force when hubby and I watch our favorite shows.  I have eased into the fall season, now I would love to experience a stormy evening.  I am sure it is coming soon enough.

In the meantime, we need to take the patio furniture cushions to the garage for storage during the winter, especially since I believe rain may be on its way soon.  It is just too chilly to sit outside – not too mention it is dark at 5:30pm.  I just have to remind myself that as quickly as the fall season arrived, that spring and summer will be here before you know it. How quickly time passes us by.

One of the small joys in life for me is entertaining.  The planning, the preparation and the actual dinner party just make me smile from ear to ear.  Luckily for me, I have a dinner party on the calendar for this Saturday.  My menu is set – yeah.  Everything is else will be done on Friday and Saturday.  If you follow me on Instagram, I’ll be sure to post some pics to share with all of you. 

In the meantime, it is time for Friday Night Bites.  I have a roll of these Roasted Red Pepper and Manchego Pinwheels in the freezer all ready to heat up this Friday.  I previewed a few with hubby on Sunday and he LOVED them.  Projecting to Friday, we will open a nice bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and devour these little delights.  I can’t wait ….. big smile!

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Roasted Red Pepper & Manchego Pinwheels

Makes 36

2 Sheets Puff Pastry, thawed

1 (12 oz) Jar Roasted Red Peppers, drained well and towel dried

2 Garlic Cloves, smashed

¼ teaspoon Salt

¼ Cup Almonds, Dry Roasted

2 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese, Grated

2 Cups Manchego Cheese, Grated

Red Pepper Sauce

In a food processor add the almonds, garlic and salt and pulse until fine.  Add the parmesan cheese and pulse.  Next add the roasted red peppers and pulse until well combined.  Mixture should be the consistency of tomato sauce.  If watery, simply run through a fine strainer.

Assembly

On a large board, use one sheet of puff pastry and spread half the red pepper sauce over the puff pastry and sprinkle one cup of the grated manchego cheese.  Roll the puff pastry as tight as possible.  Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for one hour.  Repeat same process with the second sheet of puff pastry.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees

Use a cookie sheet and cut ½ inch slices for each pinwheel.  Leave an inch in between to cook.  Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.  The manchego is a bit oily so simply lay each cooked pinwheel on a paper towel to remove excess oil.  Serve immediately.

Note:  You can place the plastic wrapped roll in a large freezer bay and keep for a month, so you have appetizers ready at your fingertips when guests arrive.  Let thaw before slicing then bake as normal.

Cinnamon Coconut Bread

Okay if you are like me, you love bread.  Say it – I LOVE BREAD!  Did you actually say it – if you did, I am giving you a virtual high five. How many bread lovers are out there?  Probably millions, right?  If you love bread, stand up and be counted.  Hands down, give me bread over a cookie any day and I am so happy.

I have to admit that I am not one of those artisan bread bakers.  In fact, it is on my bucket list to make that perfect loaf of bread that one might think I purchased from the bakery versus me actually making it.  Perhaps even mastering the art of bread making to where a master baker would have a hard time identifying in a “bread line up” behind a that one way mirror.  I can dream at this point, but will accomplish this goal of mastering the art of bread making.

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In the meantime, I have mastered the art of the quick bread.  It is simple.  It requires accurate measuring techniques, a large bowl, a spoon for stirring and the perfect sized loaf pan and watching the timer so the bread is not over baked.  One of my favorites is beer bread by simply adding five ingredients - flour, beer, sugar, salt and butter. The result is one addictive loaf of bread – trust me. Check out my fool proof recipe here.

We welcomed a new CEO to our organization in September and she went on a whirl wind road show to meet the various branches.  One of my four branches was the first on her tour and thought it would be great welcoming to bring and share some of my baked quick breads to kick off the morning and her meeting with all of us.  I brought my Chocolate Banana Bread, Pumpkin Streusel Bread and this delicious Cinnamon Coconut Bread.  I will be sharing the pumpkin bread soon.  Personally I absolutely could not get enough of this cinnamon coconut bread and is right in my wheel house. 

Cinnamon Coconut Bread

2 large eggs

1 ¼ Cup Milk

2 teaspoon Vanilla

2 ½ Cup Flour

2 teaspoon Baking Powder

2 teaspoon Cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 Cup Sugar

1 ½ Cup flaked Coconut + ½ Cup for the top of the loaf

6 Tablespoon Melted Butter

Non-stick cooking spray

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  In a bowl mix together the eggs, milk and vanilla.

In a large bowl sift the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.  Add the sugar and 1 ½ Cup coconut.  Mix well together then add the wet ingredients from the other bowl and mix well.  Add the melted butter and stir until smooth.

Spray a 9 x 5 or 8 ½ x 4 inch loaf pan with non-stick spray with flour added.  Pour batter into the pan. Sprinkle ½ cup of the coconut on top and lightly press. Bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean – about 1 hour to 75 minutes.  Cool in pan for five minutes and let cool on a wire rack.  

Cheddar and Green Onion Crostini | Friday Night Bites

I am going back in time this week for Friday Night Bites.One of my college friends use to make this appetizer and I loved it each time she would make it.  It is not healthy but tasty.  It is simple not difficult.  It is perfect to enjoy in front of a fire on a chilly evening. The last few evenings in the Bay Area have dipped into the 40 degree range which is quite chilly for us.  I can only imagine other parts of the country hit even lower temps than we do.

We used our gas fireplace recently which works well to heat up the family room where we spend the majority of our time.  Hubby loves these cheddar and onion Crostini and quite frankly can’t stop eating them.  Although I am not a true fan of mayonnaise on a typical basis, sometimes a recipe just can’t be made without it.  This is one such recipe.

Your favorite Cabernet or Chardonnay would be perfect with this appetizer.  Even a chilled beer would pair perfectly. Since it is Halloween, this would be perfect to nibble on in between those little ghosts and gobblins. Happy Halloween! Enjoy!

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Cheddar and Green Onion Crostini

Makes 18

1 Cup Slice Green Onions (White & Green)

2 Cups (3 oz) Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

2 Tablespoon Grated Parmesan Cheese

1/3 Cup + 2 Tablespoon Mayonnaise

½ teaspoon Garlic Powder

1 Cup Slice Black Olives (Drained well)

Sourdough Baguette (18 half inch slices)

In a large bowl add the green onions, cheddar cheese, parmesan, mayonnaise, garlic powder and olives.  Mix well until combined and binds together.  Slice 18 half inch thick slices of a sourdough baguette.

Top each slice with about 2 teaspoons of the cheese and onion mixture and spread until it completely covers the slice of baguette.  Place onto a baking sheet and cook for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.  Remove and enjoy.

Bacon Parmesan Chickpeas | Friday Night Bites

Do you crave crunchy salty snacks?  If the answer is yes, then I have the perfect treat for you.  I know that salt is not that good for you but on the other hand we do need some in our daily diets.  Give me a bag of Lays potato chips versus a chocolate chip cookie any day – the crunch, salt and starch completely make me happy.  With that unhealthy craving, I thought I would make my snack a bit on the healthy side by using chickpeas. This little treat has been in my head for while, just needed to execute.

Okay the next ingredient is not healthy one iota BUT it is completely tasty and an all American favorite food – BACON!  Please don’t be mad at me, but instead of vegetable oil, I used the bacon drippings as my fat to cook the chickpeas.  Perhaps I balanced the bad and good?  I know, I am probably not fooling anyone, but these kinds of snacks are the type to enjoy in moderation.

After opening the can of chickpeas (a.k.a. – garbanzo beans) and rinsing, I realized that there was a “skin” on each one that needed to be removed.  This task took much longer than anticipated.  I soon surmised that if you rinse, lie on a paper towel and pat dry, then air dry, the skins are easily removed.  You simply take another paper towel and ever so gently rub and the skins will come off.  Then you are ready to rock and roll onto cooking these little treats.

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A can of chickpeas is consistently in my pantry for soups, salads and now these snacks to make at a moments notice.  They are at their peak when they are still warm and fresh out of the oven in my opinion.  They would be perfect with your favorite cold beer in a chilled glass. Warning – they are addictive. Smile. By the way, if you loved watching 24 back in the day, then you will love the new show on NBC called – “The Blacklist”.  Hubby and I are completely addicted!

Bacon Parmesan Chickpeas

1 (15 ounce) can Garbanzo Beans

2 Slices of Apple wood smoked bacon, cooked until crispy and crumbled

1 Tablespoon of Bacon Drippings

Hickory Smoked Salt

Parmesan Cheese

Rinse, drain and pat dry the garbanzo beans.  Remove outer skins.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a bowl, add the garbanzo beans and bacon drippings and toss.  Spread onto a cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven and season with the hickory smoked salt and sprinkle the grated parmesan cheese and toss.  Add the crumbled bacon and spoon everything into a bowl to enjoy.

Monte Cristo Bites with Raspberry Bourbon Jam | Secret Recipe Club

Time seems to be spinning faster and faster.  Do you feel that way too?  It is hard to believe we are entrenched in the fall season with the leaves changing to those beautiful autumnal shades of brown, orange and yellow.  Living in Northern California, we experience the changing of the seasons however it is subtle as opposed to other regions around America.  I am still sporting my flip flops on the weekends and perfect painted toes, but this shall become a distant memory in the next month or so.  We are currently enjoying what we deem – Indian summer.  It is a time where we have mildly warm weather, shorter daytime light and little to no rain.  It is an exquisite time of year in Northern California.

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Speaking of time whizzing by, it is that time of the month for the Secret Recipe Club big reveal.  If you are not familiar with the Secret Recipe Club, let me give you the readers digest version.  Essentially there are 200 food bloggers who belong to this online cooking club and we are paired with another bloggers to peruse through their blog for a few weeks and then select a recipe that we create and have the option to add our own spin. 

This month I was paired with Debbi from Debbi Does Dinner Healthy.  Debbi is also the “Hostess with the Mostess” for Group C of Secret Recipe Club.  Debbi is a Day Care Provider who lives in Minneapolis.  She made a conscious decision to cook differently for her family by making healthy, low calorie meals without loosing any flavor in the process. In addition, she has a keen eye for stretching her dollar while producing fantastic meals. 

After reviewing her blog for a couple weeks and drooling over so many delicious recipes, I selected her Monte Cristo Sandwich for a few reasons.  First, it has been on my food blog bucket list and second, they are just plain DELICIOUS!  If you are a regular to my blog, you know that I adore appetizers.  With that spirit in mind, I decided to kick up the traditional Monte Cristo sandwich by making mini bite sized sandwiches along with an enhanced raspberry jam.  The result was nothing short of supreme!  Although not a healthy and low calorie version, they were quite tasty and a true treat.  Thank you Debbi for the inspiration and I hope you like my kicked up version!

Monte Cristo Bites with Raspberry Bourbon Jam

Make 24 Bites

Batter

1 Egg

2 Cups Water

1 ¾ Cups Flour

¼ teaspoon Salt

1 Tablespoon Vanilla

1 teaspoon Baking Powder

In a large bowl, add the egg, water and vanilla and whisk until combined.  Add the salt, baking powder and flour and whisk until smooth.  Set aside until ready to prepare sandwiches.

Sandwiches

8 Slices White Bread

6 Deli Sliced Jarlsburg

4 Large Slices of Deli Turkey

4 Large Slices of Black Forest Ham

Take two slices of bread and lay on top of a board.  Add a slice of turkey to one side and black forest ham to the other side.  Add 1 ½ slices of the jarlsburg to the top of the ham.  Lay the turkey side on top of the cheese.  Press lightly together.  Trim the edges with a sharp knife.  Proceed to cut the bread into 6 cubes. 

Tip:  Use white bread that is a couple days old so it is firmer.  I like potato sandwich bread.

Topping

2/3 Cup Raspberry Jam

2 teaspoons of Bourbon

Powdered Sugar

To assemble:

Heat a quart of canola oil in a cast iron skillet to 360 degrees.  Use a thermometer to check temperature and reduce heat if getting too hot or the sandwiches will burn. 

Dip each cube into the batter and shake off the excess.  Gently lay into the hot oil and flip on each side until golden brown.  Cook in batches of 6.  Lay cooked sandwiches on a cookie sheet and keep hot in a 350 degree oven until all batches are complete.  Lay on a platter and sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with the raspberry bourbon jam.

Pear and Honey Crostini with Spicy Candied Pistachios | Friday Night Bites

The weekend is almost here.  That means one thing – it is time for Friday Night Bites.  It has been super busy at work lately, which is a good thing.  I savor my Friday nights and weekends even more, since it is my time to relax along with planning our social activities.  For me, I absolutely love having activities to look forward to – whether it is going out to dinner, entertaining at home, heading to a friends house for dinner or going away for the weekend.  We happen to have many social activities planned now through the end of the year which makes me very happy.

I am beginning to plan for a few holiday parties that I am hosting at our house and this weeks Friday Night Bites is high on the list of making an appearance.  It was simple, in season and extremely flavorful along with being visually stunning.  Hubby agreed by devouring the plate when I set it in front of him.  This is a winner he exclaimed.  I love having an “in-house” taste tester.  How great it that?

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I am extremely excited to share this Crostini with all of you.  It is really easy and your friends and family will love it.  It is a rather lose recipe, meaning you don’t need exact measurements except for the spicy pistachios.  I am providing guidelines that will have you making these over and over again.  As far as wine, a great sparkling wine or Champagnewould be perfect and so elegant.  You might even want to serve your favorite port with these since the blue cheese is a natural pairing for port.  Cheers!

Pear and Honey Crostini with Spicy Candied Pistachios

Makes 12

Baguette, 12 slices about ½ inch thick

Ricotta cheese, 2 teaspoons per Crostini

1 Pear, quartered, seeds removed and sliced thin

Honey

Blue Cheese

Spicy Candied Pistachios (recipe below)

Lay the sliced baguette onto a cookie sheet.  Toast both sides under the broiler until lightly golden brown.  Remove and let cool.

Top each Crostini with the ricotta and drizzle with a bit of honey.  Next lay the sliced pear on top and place about a teaspoon of crumbled Blue Cheese and adorn with a few spicy candied pistachios and finish with a second drizzle of honey.  Serve and enjoy.

Tip:  You can put a couple cups of cold water in a bowl with a couple teaspoons of fresh lemon juice then place the slices of pear in the water.  This will prevent browning.  Right before assembling, pat dry with a paper towel before placing onto the Crostini.

Spicy Candied Pistachios

1/3 Cup Pistachios, shells removed

1 Tablespoon of Butter

1 Tablespoon of Brown Sugar

½ teaspoon of Smoked Paprika

1 dash of ground red pepper

Salt

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat melt the butter.  Add the brown sugar, paprika and ground red pepper and stir together.  Next add the pistachios and stir until they are coated well.  Let cook for a couple minute until the mixture begins to become sticky like the consistency of syrup.  Remove and add to a plate to cool.  Sprinkle with a touch of salt. Break apart if needed after it is cooled.  (Note:  there may be extras to nibble on.)