Spinach Artichoke dip

This past weekend a good couple friend of ours, Z and M, hosted a Holiday Cocktail Party.  M made delicious food and we all had fun playing games and getting into the holiday cheer.  I tried to help her out by bringing an appetizer, using my go-to easy Spinach Artichoke Dip.  It's semi-healthy, using low fat sour cream, mayonnaise and cheese, but let's face it, it's not the most calorie conscious dish.  It is however, really tasty.

SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP:

1 bag of frozen spinach, de-thawed and all the water is pressed out of it OR 1 bag of fresh spinach, wilted with some olive oil, salt and pepper
1/2 a bag of shredded low moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese
2/3 cup of light sour cream (estimate on this one, it may be more or less depending on
2/3 cup of light mayonnaise
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of freshly cracked pepper
zest of 1/2 a lemon
3 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked off
1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese
1 can of artichokes in water, drained and chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 F. Combine all ingredients a bowl and place into a large Ramekin dish (those heavy, white, circular thingys). Bake for 30 minutes or so, till it's bubbly and starting to brown but cooked through. Serve with pita chips, bagel chips, crusty bread, whatever you have to devour with. Be careful, this is super addicting and you'll think that because it's better for you, you can consume more. This is one of my favorite dips and my friends all seem to agree.

Baked Ricotta with Roasted Butternut Squash

The Boy and I went to Cotogna a few weeks ago with another couple and greatly enjoyed the whole meal.  This restaurant is one of the hardest to get a reservation into but also keeps room for walk-ins which makes it feel a little more homey and welcoming.  Everything I've had at this restaurant is amazing, seriously amazing. 

They have this baked Ricotta dish that is to die for, so I decided to try and make it at home.  Picture to come shortly.

Baked Ricotta with Roasted Butternut Squash:

1 small butternut squash, cut into small cubes
1 cup ricotta, divided into 4 small Ramekin dishes
salt and pepper
olive oil
fresh sage leaves, minced
drizzle of balsamic vinegar
freshly toasted bread with olive oil, salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 F.  Toss the butternut squash cubes with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Roast for 30 minutes till soft.  Once out of the oven, toss with the sage, put aside.

Increase the heat to 450 F.

Distribute the ricotta evenly into the 4 Ramekin dishes.  Add a heaping spoonful of the butternut squash, splash of olive oil, season with salt and pepper.  Put into the oven for a few minutes, until the ricotta is soft.  Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar and sprinkle a little bit more sage on top.  Serve with toasted bread.

Ricotta Stuffed, Bacon Wrapped Dates

A while ago I went up to Muir Woods with the Boy, Miss K, and her boyfriend.  We hiked and went to the Tourist Club for a beverage to enjoy the view.  On our way back we stopped on the side of the road at this little stand to pick up a few things.  We came back to the car with a ton of stuff, cherries, dates, pistachios, figs, almonds, we made out like bandits.  We were munching on everything in the car on the way back to the City.  I had tried Bacon Wrapped Dates at Wayfare Tavern and decided to give it a go on my own.

Ricotta Stuffed, Bacon Wrapped Dates

1/2 cup whole milk Ricotta

zest of 1/2 lemon

salt and pepper

4 strips of bacon, cut into thirds

12 dates, pitted and hollowed out with a chopstick

freezer zip top bag or piping bag (make sure it's a sturdy bag, mine exploded the first time I tried this)

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Combine the ricotta with the lemon zest, salt, pepper and stir well.  Taste for seasoning.  Spoon mixture into a zip lock bag to one corner, or a piping bag.  Snip a tiny bit of the end and start piping the ricotta mixture into the hollowed out date.  Wrap with the bacon slice and place seam side down onto a baking sheet.  Repeat until all dates are stuffed and wrapped.  Put into the oven for 15-20 till bacon is cooked but not too crisp.

Stick a toothpick in it and serve while warm.

Basil Pesto

My family loves pesto, especially my father.  We will have it on bread with cheese, on pasta, on sandwiches or even in salads (I've added it to Caprese Salads when I don't have basil).  My version is fairly traditional with a few additions of parsley and cracked black pepper.  I also add a bit more garlic to make it more pungent.  Lastly, I only add a bit of freshly graded Parmesan Cheese at the end and fold it.

Basil Pesto:

4 garlic cloves, smashed
1-2 hand fulls of dry toasted pine nuts (maybe 1/3ish of a cup)
2 good pinches of salt
few grinds of freshly cracked pepper
1 very large bunch of basil (upwards of 30ish leaves)
1 large handful of flat leaf parsley
extra virgin olive oil, 1/4-1/2 cup
1/4 cup freshly graded Parmesan Cheese

In a food processor, pulse together the garlic, pine nuts, salt and pepper till a paste forms (maybe 15-20 seconds).  Scrape down the sides with a spatula and add the basil and parsley.  Pulse lightly every second until the basil and parsley are chopped finely.  Push the on button on the food processor and drizzle in the olive oil from the top until a nice smooth pesto forms.  Take out and put into a bowl, fold in the Parmesan Cheese and taste for seasoning.  It should be a little garlicky, salty, and most of all basily.

Cheese Plate

Friday night, roommate dinner, finally. I made a cheese plate and it was just so pretty looking and really tasty that I had to share it. The trick to making a cheese plate look pretty is incorporate different colors and textures. I had a few different cheeses a soft Raclette cheese and an Old Amsterdam Extra Aged Gouda were my favorite. I added cashews and raw almonds along with champagne grapes to make it extra special. Top that with some sliced salami and some coppa and you have yourself a pretty tasty cheese plate. Serve it with crackers or toasted bread.

Crostini

A few weeks ago I had a college roommate come visit for New Years. We made a fabulous feast and created an appetizer to munch on while the meal was being cooked. Here it is:



Crostini with Avocado, Pine Nuts, and Honey:


1/4 a baguette sliced at an angle, 1/2 inch thick
1 avocado, sliced 1/8 inch thick (if you half the avocado, hit the base of the knife into the pit, twist and the pit should pop right out. Then take a smaller knife and slice the avocado while still in the shell. Use a large spoon and spoon out the sliced avocado.)
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 garlic clove
S+P
Clover Honey
EVOO



Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay the sliced baguette on a baking sheet and drizzle with some EVOO, S & P. Toast for 5ish minutes, till the bread is a little crispy but not hard. Once out of the oven, rub with the garlic clove while the bread is still warm. Then place a few slices (you may need to cut the long slices of the avocado in half to fit onto the baguette) of the avocado on a piece of the toasted bread, then sprinkle a few pine nuts on the top. Top with a little salt and pepper and drizzle with a touch (just a touch) of honey. They're ready to eat!



Enjoy!!

Artichoke

The is a very simple straightforward artichoke appetizer with a yummy lemony buttery dipping sauce.

STEAMED ARTICHOKES WITH A LEMON BUTTER DIPPING SAUCE:

2 Artichokes
1/2 a stick of unsalted butter
1/4 cup of lemon juice, preferably Meyer Lemon
1/4 tsp salt and pepper
1/4 tsp dried dill

Snip off the tops of the pointy artichoke stems and cut of the top with a serrated knife. Take off the bottom of the artichoke so it stands on it's butt on it's own. Steam the artichokes for at least 45 minutes, depending on how big those suckers are. While waiting for the chokes to cool, melt the butter in the microwave carefully (I have had my fair share of exploding butter that goes all over the inside of the microwave). Add the rest of the ingredients, combine well, and partake in dipping the leaves of the chokes in the buttery goodness.