Category Archives: Snacks

Pistachio-Dusted Date and Goat Cheese “Truffles”

Posted on by Andrea

I’m posting a few of these great appetizer recipes since I recently catered a cocktail party and thought that you, out there in the world, might enjoy having these recipes on hand. These little numbers take a bit of time and are messy to construct, but the benefit is that they are relatively simple and you can make them 2 days ahead — just wrap and refrigerate and you’re good to go.  Don’t make these too big, they are rich, so 2 bites should suffice.  Everyone at the party I catered commented on these cheese truffles – they look really nice, and they cover so many elements – sweet, tart, salty, savory. You can’t go wrong. They would make a nice starter to an Indian themed get-together too. If you bring these to a party, you will get lots of ooohs and ahhhs. 😉

Pistachio-dusted Date and Goat Cheese “Truffles”

from Dish Entertains

makes about 20 truffles

4 oz goat cheese, softened

2 oz cream cheese, softened

2 tbsp cassis or port

salt and pepper to taste

10 dates, pitted and cut in half

1/2 cup pistachios, finely ground

Directions

In a bowl, mix together cream cheese and goat cheese.  Add cassis or port and salt and pepper to taste. Mix until smooth. Chill for 30 minutes.

Measure out about 1 tbsp of cheese mixture and press a date half into it.  Wrap cheese around date and roll into a ball. Roll cheese balls into ground pistachios to coat evenly.  Refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve. Enjoy!

mix cheeses, add cassis, salt and pepper, mix.

wrap cheese mixture around half of a date

roll cheese balls in crushed pistachios

keep refrigerated and covered until ready to serve

Savory Double Cheese Pecan Shortbreads

Posted on by Andrea

savory double cheese pecan shortbread cookies

Here’s a quick recipe that comes in handy if you need to bring something to a cocktail party, or you can keep the dough in fridge or freezer and bake them in the oven at the last minute, when company arrives.  They are rich and tasty, and go well with a glass of wine or a cold beer.  It’s a really good recipe to keep in your ‘appetizer’ repetoire. As usual, they are easy and taste great!

Savory Double Cheese Pecan Shortbread Cookies

from Pastry Queen Parties

makes about eighty 2 inch cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup grated Asiago cheese

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans

Directions:

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and cheeses on medium speed until combined, about 1 minute.  Add the flour, salt and cayenne pepper and beat on low speed until combined.  Stir in the pecans.  Divide dough in half.  Shape each half into a roll about 2 inches in diameter (or make it square like I did for square cookies) and 8-10 inches long.  Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.  (Dough can be made up to 2 weeks in advance, wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. Or wrap and freeze for 3 weeks).

Preheat oven to 350F.  Line baking sheets with parchment or silpats.  Unwrap dough and slice into 1/8 inch slices. Place on baking sheet and bake until the cookies are lightly browned around the edges and crisp, about 10 minutes.  *Important* Keep remaining dough cold while cookies are baking. Let baking sheets cool in between batches or cookies tend to spread out and lose their shape. Enjoy with a glass of wine or a cold glass of beer.

easy ingredients

mix butter and cheeses, add flour and pecans

form dough into 2 logs

shape into round or square logs about 10 inches long and wrap

slice and bake after chilling dough

enjoy with a glass of wine

see how much this dude is enjoying himself?

Chocolate Chip Biscotti

Posted on by Andrea

chocolate chip biscotti

I wanted to make some cookies to mail to a friend, and when I saw this recipe on Foodtv.ca, I thought they’d be perfect. I was right! I mean, I consider myself a cookie connoisseur and especially love biscotti. Plus, individually wrapped and packaged in a box or tin, these are great to mail in a parcel. Anyway….the fact of the matter is, I became completely obsessed with these and ate seven of them yesterday. I mean, I mailed several, but had several leftover….today I brought them over to my daughter, Emily’s house, so I would stop eating them.

If you’ve always wanted to try to make biscotti, this is the perfect recipe to start. They are super easy, no fancy ingredients and make a delightful treat dipped in a coffee or tea. So, try them.  🙂

Chocolate Chip Biscotti

(makes about 3 dozen 3-4″ biscotti)

From Foodtv.ca (Michael Smith)

Ingredients

¼ cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 Tbsp vanilla

2 cups all purpose flour

3 Tbsp cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with silpat or parchment paper. Set aside.

Cream together butter and sugar on medium speed in a mixer until well combined. Add eggs, one at a time, then add vanilla. Mix.

In separate bowl, mix flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Add to butter/egg mixture. Fold in chocolate chips with a spatula.

Form dough, which will be sticky, into 2 logs, with floured fingers, approx. 12 inches by 3 inches.

Place in oven and cook 20 to 24 minutes, until slightly firm to touch.  Cool. When able to handle, slice into 1/ 2 inch slices diagonally using a serrated knife. Place slices back on baking sheet, and continue to bake for 7 minutes, flip over and bake additional 7 minutes. Cool. Enjoy dipped in coffee or tea. So good.

batter will be sticky

fold in chocolate chips with a spatula

form into 2 logs using floured fingers

cook for 20-24 minutes, remove when slightly firm

slice with serrated knife, bake again, cool, and enjoy

Apple Nut Muffins

Posted on by Andrea

apple nut muffins

It’s that time of year again – making lunches, yay! These are a delicious yet healthy lunchbox snack, great for a breakfast on the run or afternoon tea.   Sure, these have sugar and butter in them – but they also have oats, nuts, apples and dried fruit — and no toxic chemicals, preservatives or HFCS.  They are delicious…I only have one big kid here, and they lasted about one day.  A very good recipe.

APPLE NUT MUFFINS

adapted from Baking: From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan

makes 12 regular sized muffins

1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup apple cider (or another 1/2 cup milk if you don’t have cider)
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1  3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 TBSP baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
3/4 cup large-flake oats
1 medium apple, peeled, cored and cut into small dice
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/3 cup dried cranberries or any dried fruit (raisins, etc)

Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 400 F. Line 12 cup muffin tin with muffin liners. Place pan on baking sheet.

Whisk together milk, cider, egg, vanilla and almond extracts and butter in small bowl.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, cinnamon, and salt to combine thoroughly. Toss in the brown sugar, then add the oats and whisk the dry ingredients a few more times to mix. Switch to a large rubber spatula and stir in the liquid ingredients, stirring just until everything is moistened–as with all muffins, less mixing is better than more. Gently stir in the apple, nuts and dried fruit.  Using  a 1/3 cup scoop or measuring cup, scoop batter into muffin cups, ensuring that it is evenly distributed. Top with a sprinking of oatmeal flakes, if desired, for decorative effect.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the muffins  are golden brown and centers bounce back when pressed with your finger.  Cool. Remove from pan. Enjoy as is (delish)  or with some butter, peanut butter, almond butter, jam….very delicious muffin with lots of fiber, a good one for the lunch boxes if walnuts are allowed.

mix up batter - adding wet ingredients to dry, mix only until combined

fill muffin cups to top, making sure batter is distributed evenly

sprinkle some oats on top before baking if desired

Slow Cooker Risotto-Stuffed Peppers

Posted on by Andrea

I love stuffed peppers…so when I saw a recipe using aborio rice, I thought I’d try it.  That’s the same rice you would use to make risotto, so it’s a rounder grain, it produces a creamier finished product, and I found the entire stuffed pepper held together really well when you sliced the pepper in halves or quarters.  Recipes for stuffed peppers are a dime a dozen, and  I’ve adapted this version from the current (Aug/Sept 2011) edition of Cook’s Country magazine. There is no meat in my version, but you could easily reduce the rice and add in some sauteed ground beef, chicken or sausage.  Also, you could bake these in the oven, but it’s nice and easy to throw in the slow-cooker and walk away for a few hours. Continue reading →