Cheddar Pepper Straws

I made these this morning for a teacher's luncheon at my daughter's school. I wanted to share the recipe. Consider variations; cheddar and course ground pepper (which is what I made above), Cinnamon and sugar and you could also add some apple jelly or apple butter with the cinnamon and sugar (yum!), pepperoni and mozzarella cheese, or how about cheddar and crumbled bacon with some basil. There are so many ways to make them. The basic recipe from Pepperidge Farms is below. Enjoy!

Parmesan Cheese Twists

Thaw: 30 minutes
Prep: 20 minutes
Bake: 10 minutes

Twisted Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry strips laced with Parmesan cheese, parsley and oregano are easy to make for dinner to accompany a steak and Caesar's salad. Make ahead and freeze; remove directly from freezer to oven to bake.

ingredients

1/2 pkg. Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet)
1 egg
1 tbsp. water
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. dried oregano leaves, crushed

directions

THAW pastry sheet at room temperature 30 min. Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix egg and water. Mix cheese, parsley and oregano.

UNFOLD pastry on lightly floured surface. Roll into 14"x10" rectangle. Cut in half lengthwise. Brush both halves with egg mixture. Top 1 rectangle with cheese mixture. Place remaining rectangle over cheese-topped rectangle, egg-side down. Roll gently with rolling pin to seal.

CUT crosswise into 28 (1/2") strips. Twist strips and place 2" apart on greased baking sheet, pressing down ends. Brush with egg mixture.

BAKE 10 min. or until golden. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 28 appetizers.


TIP: To make ahead, twist strips. Place on baking sheet and brush with egg mixture. Freeze. When frozen, store in plastic bag for up to 1 month. To bake, preheat oven to 400°F. Place frozen strips on greased baking sheet. Bake 15 min. or until golden.

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Be Inspired! -Karol :0)

Spinach and Mushroom Quesadillas

I wanted to share a recipe with you that I have made a few times now and my kids and I love it! This recipe and photo above comes from Martha Stewart. CLICK HERE or on the photo above for the recipe and instructions.

Since I have made them a few times I will share some ideas/tips. First of all, the recipe tells you to flip the quesadilla over half way through the baking process. Well, let me tell you if you use the larger flour tortilla shells, that is almost impossible without spilling the insides out. Honestly, they do not have to be flipped. You are only baking them to melt the cheese anyway.

Be sure to use red onions if possible. It gives the quesadillas an awesome flavor combined with the cheese, spinach and mushrooms.

If you are making these for your family and they do not like spicy foods, you can substitute the pepper jack cheese for just monterey jack cheese. If they don't mind a little spicy, a small cup of ranch dressing tastes good with them and it cools down the spicy. You could also just drizzle a little over the quesadillas when serving them. I am not sure in the picture what is in the jar. It is not explained in the recipe.

Be Inspired! -Karol :0)

Luscious Homemade Food Gifts

Better Homes & Gardens has a wonderful slide show with photos and recipes for some delicious homemade gifts. CLICK HERE to take a look at their "Luscious Homemade Food Gifts". There are 26 recipes with photos and tips on how to package and give these gifts.I chose a few photos from the slide show to remind myself and anyone who reads this entry that making homemade treats for gifts can be very simple. In fact, I have learned to keep things simple. I think it is important to remember that a lot of people receive things like that around the holidays. So to just bundle a half dozen cookies in a nice way with ribbon and a pretty tag is best.

This first photo is Almond Breton Biscuits. I chose this one for the name mostly. Have you ever added almond extract to a good shortbread cookie recipe? Give it a try. Almond extract is my "secret ingredient" in my shortbread cookies. I always get compliments on the flavor.

For instance the nougat treats above. There are only four. A great sampling of your culinary skills, but not too much. Four small treats packaged in a tasteful box with a nice personal message attached is perfect.

Last, (above) look at these bars. What a nice way to package them. Just a enough for a sample, but not too much. Not too much for the recipient and not too much (stress) for you!

Remember, presentation makes all the difference.

Be Inspired! Karol :0)

Salmon Patties & Salad

I just made Salmon Patties for the first time a few days ago. The kids and I liked them so much we all wanted them again tonight for dinner. I decided to serve them on a bed of leafy greens with a homemade vinagrette dressing. I want to share both recipes with you.

Salmon Patties
Recipe from All Recipes.com

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

1 (14.75 ounce) can canned salmon (I prefer Bumble Bee skinless boneless Salmon in pouch)
1 egg
1/2 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped onion (I prefer a sweet vidalia onion)
1 tablespoon olive oil
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DIRECTIONS

Drain and reserve liquid from salmon. Mix egg, onion, bread crumbs and salmon together.
Make into patty's. If mixture is too dry to form into patties, add reserved liquid from salmon.
In a frying pan, heat olive oil. Place patties in pan. Brown on each side, turning gently.

Drain on paper towels and serve.

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Martha's Favorite Vinagrette
recipe from: Martha Stewart.com

Ingredients
Makes 1 cup.

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon walnut oil (optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Pinch of sugar

Directions

In a jar, combine all ingredients. Shake well to combine.
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I tossed the vinagrette with fresh spinach leaves and a variety of leafy spring mix greens. Then served the warm salmon patties right on top.

Enjoy! Karol :0)

Bacon Tomato Cups

I want to share a great recipe with you. I made these last week for a teacher's luncheon at my son's school and once again over the weekend for guests visiting.

They are very simple to make and taste so good.

I found this recipe on All Recipes.com I will also share some modifications I have made to the recipe.

You can click here for a nice printable recipe card of the recipe from All Recipes.com, but be sure to see my notes below for changes.

I buy the Grands biscuits which are quite large. I am able to split them into 3 pieces. I roll each piece of dough into a ball and flatten with my fingers before lining the mini muffin cup. One can of Grands biscuits fills a 24 mini muffin cup pan. The filling recipe makes two batches, equalling 48 Bacon Tomato Cups. So be sure when buying the ingredients, you buy two cans of biscuits. Trust me, make all 48 they will disappear quickly.

I also like to use cheddar or colby jack cheese sometimes instead of swiss. You can also use the packaged real bacon pieces if you don't want to cook bacon for this recipe. Do not use bacon bits! Yikes.

Enjoy! Karol