I Never Got to Finish!

    I never got to finish blogging some of my favorite treats from Diana’s party last week! Since I am all alone at the office today and it is so lonely and dead in here I think I see tumbleweeds rolling round, I will finish what I started J

      Anyway, some of these brilliant recipes are still sitting in the back of my head because they were so yummy. The picture shows (going clockwise from the top left) my "green flatbread, bite sized crab cakes, goat cheese tart, and my nugget rosemary potatoes.  I am still getting compliments on them and the last post has been one of my most popular. Hopefully this one will follow suit.

      I really want to make my goat cheese tarts again because I am a big savory food fan. My sister, Diana, actually found this recipe for me. These are sweet with a touch of savory kind of like a chocolate covered pretzel but instead of chocolate, it is honey and pears, and instead of pretzels, it is goat cheese and walnuts. Have a little look how I made these bad boys.

What You Need:

   1 sheet puff pastry (about 8.5 ounces)
    2 small pears
   1/2 cup of honey

    2 tablespoons of cinnamon
    2 tbsp butter, melted

    6 ounces fresh goat cheese that can be spread (best at room temperature)

    Walnuts chopped

How to:

1.       The night before you make the tarts make sure you put the puff pastry in the fridge so that it can slowly and thoroughly defrost.

2.       Lay out you dough and cut into the proper size squares for whatever pan u are using. (I used square and round!)

3.       Grease you pan with a little bit of pam and then place your dough in the cups and gently use your thumbs to mold it to the pan.

4.       Slice up your pears in little half moon shapes and place in a bowl with your spice, honey, and butter.

5.       Coat the pears thoroughly and then place them in your dough cups all pretty like.

6.       Add your walnuts on top with some extra squirts of honey.

7.       Let your cups bake at 350 degrees F for a half hour or until the tips are golden!

                                              Diana, the graduation girl!

    The next recipe I am going to share is the "Green" flat bread. I like calling it this because everything that is on it is green (except the cheese of course! Ew). This was so quick and easy to make and pretty much everyone loved it, especially my younger cousins (who I made it in mind for) but surprisingly the older crowd too. I forgot that I made a third one and it turned out to be a perfect pool side treat the next afternoon.

What You Need:

    1 can of pizza dough (I cheated but it makes it so easy)

    About a cup of pesto sauce (refer to my pesto recipe for a quick DIY)

    3 cloves of garlic

    A cup of broccoli chopped

    1 green pepper sliced thinly

   1/3 of a cup of Parmesan cheese, grated

    3 cups of mozzarella cheese, shredded

    Crushed red pepper, to taste

    About 3 handfuls of baby spinach

How to Make the Deliciousness:

1.       Spread a little bit of olive oil on a sheet pan (one with little raised edges preferably) and lay your dough out covering the whole pan.

2.       Place your pesto sauce on the dough in a smooth layer.

3.       Sprinkle your garlic, red pepper, broccoli, green peppers, and mozzarella cheese evenly on your dough.

4.       Then place your spinach on the pizza and add your parmesan cheese on top of everything.

5.       Bake in the oven at 425 degree F for 20 minutes or until the center is thoroughly baked.

My cousin Gabby, my grandma Dorothy, my mom Deb, and Me!

    

     The next little thing I cooked up was the bite sized crab cakes. Being an Annapolitian since birth, I needed to make this classic treat for our waterfront celebration. They were sooo good. The only thing I think I would have done differently is make some sort of dipping sauce or put a lemon next to them (a little note for next time J)

What You Need:

   8 oz. cream cheese (1 package), at room temperature

   ¾ cup of Parmesan cheese, roughly grated

   1 large egg

   ¼ cup of sour cream

   1 lemon zest

   ½ cup of fresh chives, chopped

   ¼ tsp. kosher salt

   1/8 of a cup of Old Bay Seasoning (the best seasoning in quite possibly the world)

   Pinch cayenne pepper

   8 oz. fresh lump crabmeat, patted dry and coarsely chopped

   About 2 cups panko breadcrumbs

How to Make Them:

1.    Add your cream cheese, egg, and parmesan cheese to a large bowl and combine it thoroughly with an electric mixer.

2.    Add your sour cream, lemon zest, chives, salt, Old Bay, cayenne pepper and continue to combine until blended.

3.    With a spatula add your crab meat and gently combine.

4.    Add your panko little by little until the mixture seems dense enough to form a little patty. Be careful not to add too much panko or they will dry out.

5.    Form your cakes into little patties and place on a lightly greased baking sheet.

6.    Place in the oven at 350 degrees F or about 30 minutes or until thoroughly cooked and golden on top!

Brooke, Alish, and Me! Some high school friends.



     Last but not least I come to the simplest recipe in the bunch, the Rosemary Olive Oil Roasted Nugget Potatoes. This is a classic recipe that I did not think would be eaten at the party but I really should have made two batches! It turned out to be great finger food that paired nicely with a custom napkin that my mom designed (hehe).

What You Need:

    1 bag of nugget potatoes, halved if too large

    2/3 of a cup of rosemary leaves (no stems!)

    ½ cup of olive oil

    Salt and Pepper to taste

How to Make It:

1.    Set your oven to 450 degrees F.

2.    Boil a big pot of water and place your taters in when the water is still cold, this allows the potatoes to be cook from the inside out (a little tip from Matthew).

3.    When the potatoes are done, about 15 minutes or when they float, sprain them.

4.    Next lay them out on a large sheet pan so that they do not overlap each other but are touching and add your salt, pepper, rosemary, and olive oil to have a though coat on them.

5.    Bake for about 30 minutes and then put them under the broiler until they are crispy and golden brown!

   

 Also would like to remind all my readers that I have decided to expand my blogging adventure into a small catering business for the residents of Annapolis, MD and it's surrounding towns. If anyone would be interested in my services for a party no bigger than 30 guests (this can be worked out though) please let me know by emailing me at Jessica.Caruso09@st.johns.edu.