Appetizers

Name: Fried Zucchini Blossoms and Lasorda Wines
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Yield: 1 dozen fried blossoms
Ingredients: 1 dozen fresh zucchini flowers, thoroughly rinsed and dried; 1 cup AP flour; 2 eggs plus 1 tablespoon water, whisked together; 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs; Vegetable oil for frying; Parmesan Cheese for grating, optional

Fried Zucchini Blossoms and Lasorda Wines

0 · Jun 7, 2018 · 4 Comments

This post has been sponsored by Lasorda Family Wines. The following message is intended for persons 21+. All opinions expressed are my own.

Dress up your summer tablescape with these easy, elegant Fried Zucchini Blossoms and a glass of Lasorda wine!

There’s a cliché that runs roughly “What would you do if you know that you were guaranteed success?” In other words, in the absence of the fear of failure, what are you passionate about? It’s the sort of ‘power motto’ that you see plastered on the walls of Silicon Valley tech headquarters or recited at business meetings, where this sentiment breaks down barriers to innovation and creativity while encouraging calculated risk-taking.

On a more material level, however, we see answers to this question in the form of ‘Passion Projects.’ Think of the long line of comedy greats who tried their hands at ‘serious’ roles, or of the countless authors who attempted write under pseudonyms for the purpose of ‘putting to page something meaningful,’ and so and so forth.

Former baseball great Tommy Lasorda, for example, developed a taste and passion for wine early in his life, and following his career on the diamond, he put that passion to practice in the form of Lasorda Family Wines – who contacted me early last month asking if I would be interested in reviewing one of their bottles. Naturally, I agreed and received a 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon from the Paso Robles AVA in California.

With the formalities out of the way, let’s see how the wine itself fairs – and if passion has transformed itself into success.

To start, the wine introduces itself with a bouquet that I’ll describe as ‘dark,’ featuring sliced blackberry notes, which are grounded firmly in earthy tones of dry driftwood or antique oak or cedar. Deeper into the glass, notes of chocolate and perhaps just a hint of spice become discernable. On sampling, the wine becomes a very ‘by the book’ sturdy cabernet, featuring a rich and full mouthfeel carrying an assortment of dark berries such as raspberry and currants, framed in ever-present earthen qualities, which translate into a long and pleasant finish.

For pairing, think prime rib roasts, sirloin, spicy red sauces over pasta, and herbed shark steaks. This could also pair nicely with an aged cheese platter accompanied by artisan bread with infused oil.

Living the Gourmet

Yields 1 dozen fried blossoms

Serves 4

Fried Zucchini Blossoms and Lasorda Wines

10 minPrep Time

10 minCook Time

20 minTotal Time

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5 based on 1 review(s)

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Ingredients

1 dozen fresh zucchini flowers, thoroughly rinsed and dried
1 cup AP flour
2 eggs plus 1 tablespoon water, whisked together
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
Vegetable oil for frying
Parmesan Cheese for grating, optional

Instructions

In 3 separate bowls, divide the flour, egg wash and breadcrumbs. Dredge your zucchini blossoms in the flour, egg wash then breadcrumbs and place on lined baking sheet.
Heat a cast iron skillet with ½ –inch of vegetable oil. Be sure not to overcrowd the pan with the blossoms. Fry each blossoms for about 2 minutes on each side or until golden.
Transfer the fried blossoms to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any excess oil. Sprinkle with parmesan if desired and serve alongside your antipasto platter or with our favorite pasta dish. Enjoy!

Eggplant Dip with Hello Delicious! Brands Pizza Chips

0 · May 18, 2018 · 16 Comments

This simple Eggplant Dip is easy and delicious for any gathering and pairs perfectly with Hello Delicious! Brands Pizza Chips.

I tried to avoid using this quote, I really did, since I’ve used it here a few times in the past, but the more I tried to come up with something else the more apropos this seemed by comparison, and here it is – “Simplicity is its own virtue,” as we are told by Plato.

One of the things I often dream about doing is perhaps one of the simplest things imaginable – sitting on my porch with precisely nothing to do or think about. It’s one of those very simple but very elusive pleasures. Attempts to indulge this ‘simple pleasure’ are routinely thwarted by that perennial ‘something’ that ‘needs’ to be done, and by the self-defeating reassurance that there is of course ‘always’ tomorrow, except that tomorrow always seems to be just a few more hours off.

The idea of sitting outside in the still mildly chilly air, while savoring a seaside silence perforated by the laughter of seagulls and the rustling of river water always seems to remain just that – an idea. The idea of things like savory crackers and wine, or a platter of cheese, figs, and olives on a lazy afternoon, or just sitting and enjoying the simplicity of ‘nothing’ to do. These sorts of things are enhanced by the ‘virtue’ of their simplicity more than anything.

That said, I recently brought home a few bags of Hello Delicious! Brands Pizza Chips, which are made out of real pizza dough then oven baked to perfection. They are flavored to look and taste like pizza, my mind immediately went outside to my porch. I would take my first round of summer downtime and put my own spin on these flavorful Pizza Chips.

While these would pair great with the aforementioned wine, cheese, figs or olives, I decided instead to pair them with a Roasted Eggplant Dip – I know, but hear me out on this, it works. We begin with a whole eggplant, and one whole head of garlic, and we bake them in the oven whole for thirty to thirty-five minutes, or until the eggplant is wilted and soft. On a side note, you are baking both the eggplant and the garlic whole and in their skin. Do not peel the garlic.

After the garlic and eggplant have cooled, scoop the meat of the eggplant out into a bowl. Now, pop the garlic from its skin, and combine that in a food processor with the lemon juice, the eggplant, basil leaves, parmesan cheese, the seasonings listed below, and some olive oil, and give it a few good pulses until it has reached your desired consistency. I prefer mine more on the smooth side.

Living the Gourmet

Yields 2 cups

Eggplant Dip with Hello Delicious! Brands Pizza Chips

5 minPrep Time

30 minCook Time

35 minTotal Time

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5 based on 5 review(s)

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Ingredients

1 eggplant – roasted
Juice of ½ lemon
8 – 10 fresh basil leaves
½ cup of grated fresh Parmesan or Romano cheese
1 head of garlic – roasted
3 - 4 tbs. olive oil
½ tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 dried oregano
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Instructions

Preheat Oven 375 degrees F.
Bake eggplant and garlic for 35 - 30 minutes, or until the eggplant is wilted and soft.
Let the eggplant cool and then scoop the meat out and place in a bowl.
Pop the garlic from the skin and place the garlic, lemon juice, eggplant, basil leaves, Parmesan cheese, seasonings and olive oil in a food processor and give a few good chops until the desired consistency is achieved. Taste for seasonings.
Enjoy with the chips.
Refrigerate any leftover dip.

https://livingthegourmet.com/2018/05/eggplant-dip.html

Once that was done, I assembled that on a platter with Hello Delicious! Brands Pizza Chips, and paired it with a tall cold drink, and took them out on the porch to finally enjoy that lazy afternoon I’d been thinking about for more days than I care to admit.

Find your nearest retailor to find Hello Delicious! Brands Pizza Chips and be sure to download and print your in-store coupon for Pizza Chips or use this Amazon code for 25% off a six pack of 7oz Pizza Chips: PCHIPS25

Enjoy with Love!

Apricot and Brie Phyllo Triangles

0 · May 9, 2018 · 14 Comments

These Phyllo Triangles are the perfect appetizer or snack for any occasion. Sweet apricots and savory Brie are baked into delicate phyllo pastries and served alongside a cool, creamy dip.

When my kids were growing up, one of the items I would make regularly was what I can now call a sort of ‘Back to Basics’ Spinach Pie. This was one of my staple recipes both at big family gatherings and sometimes during the week or weekend. It would go far, it was filling, and absolutely delicious. It used a basic filling of ricotta, feta, chopped spinach, sometimes mozzarella, and the typical array of seasonings all swathed together in phyllo brushed generously with either olive oil or butter. Standard, classic, a crowd pleaser, and truly enjoyable to put together, this old recipe made for very warm memories over the years. On the weeknights, it was basically an ‘all-in-one’ entrée, featuring protein and calcium from the mixed dairy, along with a helping of vegetables in the form of spinach and onions.

Naturally, this was one of the first recipes I ever put on Living the Gourmet. However, as all good things must either adapt or come to an end, this recipe gradually fell off over the years, but when a dear friend of mine invited herself over for a weeknight dinner party…you guessed it, I found myself remembering that old recipe. However, I wanted to do something a tad bit more ‘elegant’ while still being ‘fun.’ Without trying to delve into the nature or process of inspiration, I thought of ‘reducing’ the original pie. “What if I made the spinach pie bite-sized?” I thought.

Perfect, I decided. These would make for an excellent presentation, keep the ‘dinner party feel,’ but also be equal parts elegance and fun.

However, and here’s where today’s recipe takes its ‘LTG-Turn,’ I decided on subbing out the original filling with brie, walnuts, dried apricots, honey and fresh lemon juice. Naturally, this is about as far departed from the original recipe as possible, but the inspiration and idea remain the same – a savory phyllo packet.

Before I get into the recipe itself, let’s start out by saying that if you live in the US unless you’re consuming contraband, you’re eating a ‘brie-like’ cheese – most likely an American produced equivalent. Why is this? Simply put, ‘real’ French Brie is functionally banned by the FDA. French Brie is produced with unpasteurized milk, as required by the protected designations in which the cheeses are produced, but the FDA, for reasons of sanitation, requires all cheese to be heated if it is to be imported – and therein lies the conflict.

The end result is that you may as well purchase an American ‘Brie,’ since the heating of the cheese is taken into account as part of the recipe during production, rather than being an afterthought. As a point of fact, Wisconsin has become a primary source of brie for American consumers, since several important French cheese producers have chosen to make the cheese in this state because the composition of Wisconsin milk closely resembles that of the French Brie appellations.

That being said, while American made ‘Brie-like’ cheeses are often of reputable quality, the actual flavor, and consistency, like standard ‘real’ brie, can vary quite wildly. For this particular recipe, you want a ‘Brie’ that is as pliable/creamy as possible, and on the nuttier side of the flavor spectrum.

This will both add to the ‘creaminess’ of the phyllo interior while complimenting the rest of the flavor profile.

Now, for the recipe itself.

To start things off, begin by dicing about eight ounces of brie, combine that with chopped walnuts, chopped apricots, honey, ground cinnamon, fresh lemon juice and zest, and mix them together. Once that’s done, set the mixture aside and it’s time to prepare the phyllo sheets. Begin by carefully brushing a single sheet with melted butter, and then top that sheet with another, brush with butter, and then top with another, and brush. For most phyllo brands, you’ll want three sheets, however, two maybe sufficient for particularly thick phyllo, or four if the reverse is true.

Once that’s done, cut the phyllo into strips lengthwise. Pro-tip, a pizza wheel makes this exceptionally simple to do. Place one teaspoon of filling about 1 inch from the edge of the sliced phyllo strip. Fold the corner of the phyllo diagonally across to opposite edge to form a triangle. Continue to fold into a triangle. For a visual demonstration, I’ve included a link in the recipe instructions below.

Finally, brush the triangles with a final layer of butter, and then bake for about fifteen minutes, or until they are nice and golden.

After that’s done, or preferably while the triangles are baking, it’s time to prepare the dipping sauce. For the sauce, we’re using a base of sour cream, to which we’re adding fresh lemon juice, fresh dill, and honey.

Living the Gourmet

Yields 12 triangles

Apricot and Brie Phyllo Triangles

15 minPrep Time

15 minCook Time

30 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

Phyllo Dough
½ cup of unsalted butter – melted

For the Filling:

8 oz. Brie – diced
¼ cup walnuts – chopped
½ cup dried apricots – chopped
1 bunch of scallions - chopped
3 tbs. honey
1 tbs. fresh lemon juice
½ tsp. lemon zest
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Sour Cream Dip:

1 ½ cups of sour cream
4 tbs. fresh lemon juice
3 – 4 tbs. of fresh chopped dill
Juice of ½ fresh large lemon
4 tbs. honey

Instructions

For the filling:

Combine the diced brie cheese, chopped walnuts, chopped scallions, chopped dried apricots, honey, ground cinnamon, fresh lemon juice and lemon zest in a medium sized bowl and mix together.

Phyllo Triangles:

Unroll and cover the phyllo pastry sheets with a damp towel to prevent drying out.
Brush phyllo dough with melted butter, then top with another sheet of phyllo dough and brush with melted butter; repeat this process one more time until you have brushed three sheets of phyllo dough. *Note: depending on the thickness of the phyllo you are using you may only need two sheets.
To make the triangles, use a pizza wheel or knife to slice the phyllo sheet horizontally or lengthwise into 6 strips. Place 1 teaspoon of filling about 1 inch from the edge of the sliced phyllo strip. Fold the corner of the phyllo diagonally across to opposite edge to form a triangle. Continue to fold into a triangle. Here is an easy video tutoria on how to fold phyllo triangles.
Finally, brush each triangle with butter and place on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 15 minutes or until the triangles are slightly golden and the cheese is bubbling at the corners. Remove immediately from the baking sheet and onto a serving tray. Any leftover triangles reheat beautifully in a toaster oven.

For the dip:

Combine all of the ingredients for the sour cream dip in a medium sized bowl and stir together until well incorporated.
Refrigerate until ready to use.
This dip is a wonderful compliment to many other dishes as well so enjoy!

https://livingthegourmet.com/2018/05/apricot-and-brie-phyllo-triangles.html

And just like that, you’ve got a delicious, better-for-you appetizer that will help you keep those New Year’s Resolutions while at the same time impressing your guests.

Enjoy with Love!

Sweet Mini Poivrons Stuffed with Rice

0 · Mar 23, 2018 · 13 Comments

This post has been sponsored by Mahatma Rice. All opinions expressed are my own.

Kick off the spring season with flavorful stuffed mini poivrons! They are a fresh and delicious appetizer for all your seasonal gatherings when served alongside a Mediterranean olive spread!

Once upon a time, the Idus Martiae or ‘Ides of March,’ marked feasts sacred to the god Jupiter and the ancient goddess Anna Perrena. Naturally, in true Roman fashion, this was also the point on the calendar used as a deadline for settling debts. Later in the Imperial Period, the Idus became a ‘general’ Holy Week marked by festivals and sacrifices.

Naturally, we better remember the Ides of March for…no, not a famous assassination, but rather the beginning of the descent into Madness, the Madness of March.

That said, basketball season is a big deal in my house, rife with its own bit of ritual and tradition. While I myself am largely a Sports-Agnostic, I am nonetheless surrounded by wholehearted devotees. However, the allure of the enthusiasm is hard to resist, and I have learned to bend the season to my own purposes, using the games from time to time as a reason to gather the family in one place and put together a few sports-friendly dishes to add to my Spring menu, as well as to turn out a few tried and true crowd-pleasers.

One such favorite is my Stuffed Mini-Poivrons with Mahatma Jasmine Rice, which is a long grain exotic rice imported from Thailand. Savory, filling yet light for spring, and just small enough to still be finger food, they are the quintessential sports-party item. Served alongside a cool drink and a game, or sometimes after the game with debates and replays, there’s sure to be few if any left over.

Naturally, that brings us to today’s recipe.

To start things off, prepare about one cup of Mahatma Jasmine Rice as described on the package. For the recipe, I do prefer Mahatma Jasmine Rice from Riviana Foods since it’s all natural with no additives, while the delicate natural Jasmine aroma compliments the rest of the flavor profile of the recipe quite nicely. Also, Jasmine rice tends to cook into a soft texture, which complements the outer crunch of the pepper quite deliciously, adding a layer of complexity to the recipe. When selecting Mahatma Jasmine Rice, be sure to look for the seal of the Thai Hom Mali Rice, which guarantees the authenticity of the rice, as without this seal the rice is not authentic.

On a side note, Mahatma Jasmine Rice remains soft when chilled, making it great for making dishes ahead of time, or for leftovers.

After the rice is cooked set aside for a moment and heat a large cast iron frying pan with a bit of olive oil. Add the quartered tomatoes and the garlic, and sauté until the garlic is fragrant. Then add in the bread crumbs and toss until the crumbs stick to the tomatoes. Once Maximal Tomato Stickiness has been achieved, add in the cooked rice, the capers plus a dash of caper juice, the parsley and basil, grated mozzarella, the grated Romano cheese and then toss. Once it’s tossed, turn the heat off.

Now, slice the baby Poivron peppers down the middle, carefully take out the tiny innards, and carefully fill each half with the mixture you just prepared, setting them on a baking sheet as you do.

Once you’ve finished, bake them for about ten minutes at 350 degrees F.

While they bake, prepare the accompanying olive spread as described below, and serve them with something cold, and just like that, you’ve got a delicious game-time snack.

Living the Gourmet

Sweet Mini Poivrons Stuffed with Rice

10 minPrep Time

20 minCook Time

30 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

25 mini poivrons – halved

For the Rice Stuffing:

1 cup of Mahatma Jasmine Rice– uncooked
1 cup of grape tomatoes – quartered
2 tbs. capers – plus 2 tbs. caper juice
3 large cloves of garlic – chopped
¼ cup of fresh basil – chopped
¼ cup of fresh Italian parsley – chopped
¼ cup of Italian style seasoned bread crumbs
¼ cup of fresh grated Romano cheese
¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tbs. olive oil

For the Olive Spread:

1 ½ cups of pitted black olives
2 oz. can of anchovies – drained
2 tbs. olive oil
3 – 4 tbs. fresh Italian parsley
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
3 – 4 tbs. fresh basil
4 tbs. fresh grated Romano cheese
Zest of 1 lemon – plus the juice of ½ lemon
2 tbs. capers – plus tbs. of caper juice

Instructions

For the peppers:

Prepare the rice as directed on the package.
Heat a large cast iron frying pan with the olive oil. Add the quartered tomatoes and garlic and sauté until the garlic is fragrant.
Add the bread crumbs and toss until it is sticking to the tomatoes. Add the cooked rice, capers plus caper juice, chopped parsley, chopped basil, grated Romano and grated mozzarella cheese and toss. Turn the heat off on the frying pan.
Preheat the Oven to 350 degrees F.
Using a small spoon, carefully fill each half of the sliced peppers and set on a baking sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes, do not over-bake!

For the Olive Spread:

Combine all of the ingredients for the olive spread in a food processor and process until a fine consistency is achieved.
Refrigerate until ready to use.

https://livingthegourmet.com/2018/03/sweet-mini-poivrons-stuffed-with-rice.html

Calories

2835 cal

Fat

121 g

Carbs

297 g

Protein

136 g

Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info

What are some of your favorite game-themed appetizers? We’d love to hear from you. Check the Mahatma store finder to see where it’s sold near you (please note it is not sold nationally).

Enjoy with Love!

Spiced Wine and Cheese Crackers

0 · Mar 9, 2018 · 4 Comments

This post has been sponsored by Chateau de Candale. All opinions expressed are my own. The following message is for 21+. Please enjoy responsibly!

These buttery, cheese crackers are as complex as the wine they are paired with, combining warm spices and floral notes for a delicious addition to your cheese board.

Early last month I was contacted by the representatives of Chateau de Candale, asking if I would be interested in reviewing several of their bottles from the Appellation Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Controlee.

Naturally, I agreed and received four bottles, a Chateau La Conmanderie Grand Cru Classe, a Clos Des Jacobins Grand Cru Classe, a Chateau Roc de Candale, and a Chateau de Candale. All bottles are dated 2015.

For the uninitiated, the Saint-Emilion Controlee is located in the Bordeaux wine region of France, a wine region which itself covers the whole of Aquitaine. The wines produced in the Saint-Emilion Grand Cru are, not surprisingly, considered to be of higher quality than those produced in the wider Saint-Emilion AOC, being put through slightly more rigorous production restrictions than those of the standard non-Grand Cru classification. These restrictions include a lessened vineyard yield, a heightened must weight on the grapes, and a very slightly heightened alcohol level on the finished wine. As with most quality classifications, the final restriction also includes a lengthened storage time by the producer. You’ll notice this is a very similar set of criteria as that of the varying classifications of Chianti Classico, a review for which I did back in November of last year.

However, you aren’t here for a lesson on vinicultural criteria or final product classification, you want to know what’s inside the bottle and how it fares, so let’s get to it. To note, each wine is a Bordeaux-style blend, which means that each wine on today’s list is merlot dominated.

First up, the Chateau La Commanderie 2015. This wine is blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Off the top of the glass, the wine greets with sharp but pleasant spice notes, just behind which lay dark berry aromas, which intensify and predominate into the bottom of the glass. On the palate, the blend is largely characteristic to the point of being by-the-book, with balanced dark fruit notes throughout, matched by a pleasant juiciness. The wine ends off on a short, dry finish.

Second, we have the Clos Des Jacobins 2015, which is a Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon blend. The wine introduces itself with floral essences laced in a mosaic of rich, dark fruit aromas, with vague hints of licorice or perhaps overripe plum deeper into the glass. On the palate, the wine is supply textured, with cocoa perforating through an otherwise dark fruit flavor profile, with just a hint of char or sharply toasted antique wood lingering in the background.

Up next, we have the Chateau Roc de Candale 2015, which is a Merlot-Cabernet Franc blend. The wine introduces itself with a lively nose of vanilla, ripe plum, and what I’ll describe either as burnt wood or sharp spice. On the palate, the wine is pleasantly tannic, carrying an assortment of dark fruit essences laced in palpable vanilla notes.

Finally, we come to the Chateau de Candale 2015, which is also a Merlot-Cabernet Franc blend. Off the top of the glass, the wine introduces itself with aromas of sliced black cherry, with a slight but noticeable underpinning of earthen qualities, perhaps ground coffee or dusty cigar box. On the palate, the wine is excellently textured, very smooth, with the black cherry from the nose pleasantly dominating the flavor profile, with hints of fresh licorice perforating throughout.

For pairing, I’m going to be boringly conventional here. Since all of these bottles are merlot-led Bordeaux-style blends, think steak, think hearty entrees such as roast duck, or even holiday-style turkey. Burgers would pair nicely as well, as well as red sauces with pasta.

Today, however, I’m taking a slightly different approach and pairing the wine with some homemade crackers. Now, these crackers are quite savory, and actually quite substantial as far as crackers go, making them a fine pairing for the wine. Paired with either some cheese, or as a side to a main course, these will complement the wine sublimely.

Living the Gourmet

Yields 2 dozen crackers

Spiced Wine and Cheese Crackers

15 minPrep Time

6 minCook Time

21 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

1 ½ cups flour
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
½ tsp. dried oregano
¼ cup white wine
¾ cup grated Romano cheese
1 stick (½ cup) cold unsalted butter

Instructions

Preheat Oven 400 degrees F.
Using the dough hook in a food processor, combine all of the ingredients and process until a dough is formed. The dough should gather around the hook.
Form the dough into a ball.
Dust a clean surface with a little flour.
Pinch a chunk of the dough from the ball and refrigerate the rest while working with the dough at hand.
On a lightly floured surface roll out the piece of dough as thin as possible. Using a cookie cutter or ravioli cutter, cut out the dough. Gently lift the cut-out pieces, use a butter knife to loosen the edge of the cut-out dough, and place onto a parchment lined baking pan.
Using a fork, gently poke each cracker once or twice each before baking.
Bake 6 – 8 minutes or until slightly golden.

https://livingthegourmet.com/2018/03/spiced-wine-and-cheese-crackers.html

Overall, I was very pleased with these bottles, and can wholeheartedly recommend them to my audience.

Cheers!

Crab Cakes, Crostini, and Torresella Prosecco

0 · Dec 27, 2017 · 12 Comments

Thank you to Torresella Wines for sponsoring this post. All opinions expressed are my own. The following message is intended for those 21+. Please enjoy responsibly.

Complete the holiday season and ring in the New Year with this simple yet elegant spread featuring plump crab cakes and ciabatta crostini with a tomato and artichoke salad served alongside a bubbly glass of Torresella Prosecco.

“The common wisdom says that to be happy means to be rushed along within the crowd, drifting from fashion to fashion, and rushing about hectically for the sake of rushing about, or that purpose is found within the busyness of business. Those activities have their virtues, to be sure, but I always preferred the role of spectator, of being off in the undisturbed quiet of the unvisited distance, watching at my leisure and learning at my own pace, and there I thrived”

The holidays are pretty much a case study of that sentiment. I know that the prevailing sentiment at this time of the year is that there is a ‘certain magic’ or a ‘certain something’ or a ‘certain cheer’ drifting on the air, and that all of this ‘goodness’ is centered around a set of appointed feast days. While I must agree that there is an undeniable quality about the holiday season, I’ve always been one to favor those rare moments of quiet that immediately follow the great feast days. Perhaps it’s the contrarian in me, or perhaps it’s the romantic quality ingrained in being the ‘mysterious character’ of the film noir who lingers in the back of the lounge after the rest of the guests have left.

Whatever the reason, those moments in the melancholy of coming down from the holidays has always been my favorite part of the season, and this year was no different.

Allow me to demonstrate. This year, like every year, my family and I enjoyed our Christmas Eve, followed by a similarly pleasant Christmas Day. However, in the pleasant and relaxing quiet that followed on the Day-After-Christmas Day, I wanted to more or less ‘complete’ the scene, to sort of ‘lounge up’ my living room.

As luck would have it, earlier this month I was contacted by the representatives of Torresella, asking if I would be interested in sampling their Prosecco DOC. Naturally, I agreed, since this was just what sanity had ordered for a post-holiday spread.

On pouring, the prosecco is a nearly translucent yellowish-white, featuring sparse and fine bubbles, with a very thick foam that quickly evaporates. The nose is instantly floral, with white spring flowers predominating throughout, with fruit essences becoming more evident the longer you linger on the bouquet, chiefly white citrus. On the palate, the aromas largely carry over, carried on a distinct creaminess, with pleasantly fine bubbles.

While the orthodox thing to do would be to suggest this either as an aperitif, or with a warmed brie, I decided instead to pair it with a late luncheon spread that was light, Mediterranean in flavor, and blissfully satisfying.

Naturally, that meant homemade crab cakes, ciabatta crostini, grilled fennel, and an artichoke, olive, and tomato salad served as a late luncheon beside my bay window.

Starting off with the crab cakes, we begin with four cans of pink crabmeat. You must thoroughly drain the liquid from the crabmeat. Then you combine crumbled bread, bread crumbs, grated garlic clove, flour, grated cheese, an egg, the seasonings listed below, with lemon juice, parsley, anise greens and olive oil in a large bowl and mix. Then add in the drained crabmeat and work the resulting mixture together until it is blended nicely.

Next, it’s time for the dirty work, and that means separating the above mixture into roughly half inch thick by three to four-inch-wide patties, and then coating those patties in breadcrumbs.

Heat a large cast iron frying pan with about a quarter of an inch of canola oil, and while that heats up, prepare a plate with a paper towel, which you will need for the fried crab cakes.

Once the oil is hot, carefully set the patties in the frying pan, being careful of the oil splattering up at you. You will want to cook the patties for about three minutes on each side. As they finish cooking, set them on the plate that you prepared with the paper towel.

Once the patties are done, arrange them on a platter with alternating thinly sliced Asiago cheese and lemon wedges, as shown below for a stellar post-holiday plating.

Living the Gourmet

Yields 4

Mediterranean Style Crab Cakes

10 minPrep Time

15 minCook Time

25 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

1 cup of crumbled Italian bread
1 egg
4 (4.25 oz.) cans of pink crabmeat – drained thoroughly
¼ cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1 tbs. lemon juice
3 tbs. chopped Italian parsley
1 large clove of garlic - grated
1 tbs. Anise greens – chopped
2 tbs. olive oil
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
2 tbs. bread crumbs – and more for coating the crab cakes
½ cup flour
Canola oil for frying

Grilled Fennel:

1 head of Anise (Fennel)– trimmed and cleaned and patted dry
Olive oil
Salt/black pepper

Instructions

For the Crab Cakes:

Place the crab meat in a colander and press down on it to thoroughly drain the liquid from the crab meat.
Place the crumbled bread, bread crumbs, flour, grated cheese, egg, seasonings, lemon juice, parsley, Anise greens and olive oil in a large bowl. Add the drained crab meat and work the mixture together.
Prepare a small bowl with about ½ cup of bread crumbs.
Form the crab mixture into small ½ inch thick patties.
Dip the formed crab cakes into the bread crumbs to coat the cakes.
Prepare a plate with a paper towel for placing the cooked crab cakes on.
Heat a large cast iron frying pan with ¼ inch of canola oil.
Carefully place the crab cakes into the hot oil and cook for about 3 - 4 minutes on each side. When one has become a beautiful golden color, carefully turn over and repeat this on the other side.
Place the cooked cakes on a plate prepared with a paper towel.
Serve with a lemon wedge and thin slices of Asiago cheese.

For the Fennel:

Heat a large cast iron frying pan and place the fennel in the dry pan to become slightly charred.
When the fennel has become slightly charred on both sides add a tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Remove from the pan and plate.

https://livingthegourmet.com/2017/12/crab-cakes-crostini-torresella-prosecco.html

Since I had a whole wheat ciabatta loaf left over from Christmas, I sliced that up thin and turned it into crostini. Just slice it thin, brush the slices with olive oil, and bake them in the oven for about ten minutes, turning over once mid-way.

However, I didn’t ‘merely’ want crostini, no, I paired this instead with a tomato and artichoke heart salad, and grilled anise, to complete the post-holiday tablescape with my crab cakes.

Artichooke & Tomato Crostini

Ingredients:

Fresh Ciabatta Bread – sliced ¼ inch thickness
Olive oil for brushing the bread

For the Topping:

2 pints of cherry tomato medley – quartered
1 large clove of garlic – grated
6 oz. can of pitted black olives – drained and chopped
14 oz. can of artichoke hearts – drained and chopped
1 bunch of scallions – chopped
2 tbs. of capers – chopped
3 tbs. of chopped fresh Italian Parsley
¼ cup olive oil
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
Romano or Parmesan cheese for Grating

Directions:

Preheat Oven 350 degrees F.

Brush the sliced Ciabatta bread with olive oil and place on a baking sheet.
Bake for about 10 minutes turning over once midway and brushing the other side with olive oil.
Remove and set aside for the salad.

Combine all of the ingredients for the salad in a bowl and then place in a colander to drain any liquid and place back in the salad bowl.

Add the olive oil and the seasonings and toss.

Place on the prepared Ciabatta bread and grate with Parmesan or Romano cheese.

Naturally, this all perfectly complemented the Torresella Prosecco DOC, which I can wholeheartedly recommend to my readers looking either for an accessible and delicious aperitif bubbly, or who might be interested in pairing a prosecco with a light late lunch as I’ve done here today.

Cheers & Enjoy with Love!

Herbed Goat Cheese and Nut Crostini

0 · Nov 14, 2017 · 13 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #changesnackingforgood #CollectiveBias

Toasted baguette slices are topped with an herbed goat cheese spread, grilled onions, crisp bacon and Sahale Snacks!

“I saw an angel in the marble, and I carved until I set him free,” Michelangelo remarked of his own work.

And in some ways, we all experience that…albeit very few of us end up setting angels free from the depths of marble prisons. For example, think about the last time you planned something ‘just because.’ You saw a memorable event hidden inside of an ordinary day, something special within the mundane, and so you planned to make it yours. For that very reason, as a teacher of mine once remarked, “Planning is the best part of any event,” and he was right. During the planning stage, everything is perfect, everything goes ‘according to plan.’ It’s a bit like playing the director of a show, freely setting the stage, editing the final draft of the lines, and checking the script. Of course, planning ends where action begins. To carry the metaphor forward, the curtains part for the first dress rehearsal, the actors take to the stage, and any semblance of that perfect plan vanishes.

Or does it?

I had invited a dear friend of mine over for a fall themed light luncheon, and I certainly didn’t want the planning to be the best part of it. To use the metaphor I opened with, I instead chose to see a lovely late afternoon within the clutches of a chilled autumn day, all that remained was to set the scene – both literally and figuratively. That said, I wanted a sort of ‘relaxed elegance,’ with just a hint of simplicity. I wanted to capture the season’s flavors without all of the seasonal fuss.

That was my thought process as I made a last-minute stop at Stop & Shop, and of course the simple question was ‘how’ to fit that bill. Now, I’ve written here a few times about building in ‘failsafe’s’ and ‘crowd pleasers’ when it comes to entertaining one’s guests, and I’ve also written about delicious snacking. Turning into the snack aisle, those themes just happened to cross paths in the form of Sahale Snacks which are both Gluten-Free Certified and Non-GMO Project Verified, as well as being Kosher. The Valdosta Pecans Glazed Mix caught my attention immediately- Roasted pecans glazed with whole cranberries and orange zest and just a pinch of black pepper. It’s a little piece of heaven. Aside from being a great snack, these products are also great ‘ingredients.’ So I also picked up a bag of the Maple Pecans Glazed Mix which I knew would play into today’s recipe perfectly!

And that, of course, is where today’s recipe comes in Herbed Goat Cheese and Nut Crostini, which are not only delicious, but they simply look beautiful, making them perfect starters that will be sure to please your guests.

To start things off, we heat a large cast iron frying pan with olive oil. We then add in the onions and let them sauté until they are tender and golden. Then add the raisins, vinegar, honey, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and molasses, and toss.

Once that’s done, we prepare the goat cheese with some dill, salt, black pepper, and dried oregano, and then blend that together in the food processor until it’s nice and creamy.

Now, with the onions and the goat cheese ready, it’s time for the crostini part of this crostini equation. Begin by slicing a loaf of Italian bread into about quarter-inch ‘rounds,’ and then place the rounds on a baking sheet and gently brush them with olive oil, and then bake them for about four minutes, turning them over once midway through the process.

After that, it’s time for the fun part – building the crostini. We start off with a base layer of onions – yes, the onions go first. Then add a dollop of the goat cheese, a quick sprinkle of crisped crumbled bacon, and then top these little beauties with the Sahale Snacks, and finish with a drizzle of honey and you’re done.

Living the Gourmet

Yields 6-8

Herbed Goat Cheese and Nut Crostini

10 minPrep Time

5 minCook Time

15 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

Sahale Snacks Valdosta Pecans Glazed Mix or Maple Pecans Glazed Mix
1 loaf of Italian bread or baguette, sliced ¼-inch thickness
½ lb. of bacon – cooked to a nice crispness

For the Grilled Onions:

2 sweet onions – sliced thin
1 tsp. salt
2 tbs. olive oil
¼ cup raisins – chopped
¼ tsp. cinnamon
1 tbs. vinegar
2 tbs. honey
1 tbs. molasses

For the Goat Cheese Topping:

4 ½ oz. goat cheese
4 oz. cream cheese
¼ tsp. dill
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
¼ tsp. dried oregano
Combine the goat cheese, cream cheese and the seasonings in a food processor and process until smooth and creamy.

Instructions

For the Grilled Onions:

Heat a large cast iron frying pan with the olive oil. Add the onions and sauté until the onions are tender and become a beautiful golden color.
Add the raisins, vinegar, honey, cinnamon, salt, black pepper, molasses and toss.

For the Goat Cheese Topping:

Combine the goat cheese, cream cheese and the seasonings in a food processor and process until smooth and creamy.

For the Bread Slices:

Preheat the Oven 350 degrees F.
Slice the bread to ¼ inch thickness and brush each slice with olive oil.
Place the slices on a baking sheet and bake for 4 – 5 minutes, or to desired crispness, turning once.

To Build the Crostini:

Place a rounded teaspoon of the onion mixture on each toasted bread slice, followed by a teaspoon of the cheese mixture, followed by the crumbled crisp bacon and finally topped with Sahale Snacks.

https://livingthegourmet.com/2017/11/herbed-goat-cheese-nut-crostini.html

Calories

4305 cal

Fat

239 g

Carbs

266 g

Protein

252 g

Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info

What are some of your favorite seasonal flavors? We would love to hear from you!

Be sure to get your digital coupon for Stop & Shop, Giant Carlisle, Giant Landover, and Martins to save $1.50 off any 4oz bag of Sahale Snacks. Offer valid 10/29 – 12/29!

Be sure to follow Sahale on:
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Enjoy with Love!

Skirt Steak Appetizers with Bell Pepper Relish

0 · Nov 2, 2017 · 18 Comments

Impress your guests with these Skirt Steak Appetizers served over a fresh Bell Pepper Relish!

“As humans, our most important and complex concepts exist purely because we say they do. Virtue, morality, tradition, and honor are purely constructs of our over-evolved minds, as if plucked from the ether of the cosmos and applied as invisible barriers within our minds to order and shape our societies.”

Elegance, too, fits that description. Today, however, elegance is a fading virtue. In the few areas where it still exists, the object of mockery and constant reduction. In this way, the drive for ‘simplicity,’ ‘accessibility,’ and ‘no effort’ is a sort of ‘rebellion in search of an overlord to overthrow.’ That said, elegance is often relegated to the realm of the inaccessible, something that exists purely in impossibly priced metropolitan restaurants staffed by celebrity chefs, or something enjoyed by the residents of chateaus overlooking sapphire seas.

During the holiday season ideas of ‘elegance’ are revived from their chronological tombs, reentering for the briefest of moments our modern psychology. We want the holidays to be memorable, after all, and what better way to do this than to add a pinch of elegance to the perennial recipe?

Naturally, I’m not here today to tell you that today’s recipe is ‘not’ complex or tedious to put together. Just the opposite, in fact. You see, I’m of the train of thought that certain things are indeed worth the effort, and that particularly around the holidays adding an extra ten to fifteen minutes of prep time.

This, of course, brings us to today’s recipe – Skirt Steak Appetizer with a red bell pepper relish.

First, the relish. To start things off, we begin – naturally – by heating a large cast iron frying with olive oil, and then adding in chopped garlic and the onions. We sauté until the garlic is fragrant and the onions are soft and clear, and then add in the peppers with a drizzle of more oil, and continue sautéing until the peppers are soft. We then add in the seasonings listed below along with chopped apricots, fresh lemon juice, cilantro, and we toss this over low heat and let this cook for another ten or so minutes. Then turn off the heat, and add in the basil and honey, and toss again.

After the relish is taken care of, slice a loaf of Italian bread as thin as you can manage, and then pan fry one skirt steak, and slice that as thinly as you can manage as well. Once that’s done spoon about a teaspoon of the relish evenly over each slice of Italian bread. Then wrap or fold a slice of the steak, and place that over the relish, and you’re done.

Living the Gourmet

Yields 6

Skirt Steak Appetizers with Bell Pepper Relish

10 minPrep Time

15 minCook Time

25 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

3 large red bell peppers – sliced thin
5 – 6 cloves of garlic – chopped fine
1 large sweet onion – sliced thin
1 cup dried apricots – chopped fine
1 cup of fresh cilantro – chopped
5 – 6 fresh basil leaves – ripped
Juice of 1 fresh lemon
Drizzle of honey
3 tbs. olive oil – and more for drizzling
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. dried oregano

Instructions

Heat a large cast iron frying pan with the olive oil with a medium heat.
Add the chopped garlic and onions. Sauté until the garlic is fragrant and the onions are softened.
Add the peppers and sauté with an extra drizzle of olive oil, until the peppers soften.
Add the seasonings, chopped apricots, lemon juice and the chopped cilantro and toss.
Continue to sauté on a low heat for another 10 – 15 minutes.
When the heat is turned off add the chopped basil, a drizzle of honey and toss.

For the Appetizer:

Loaf of Italian bread sliced thin
One steak – pan fried – I like mine medium rare and this is achieved by gently pressing the steak and the less firm the steak the rarer the steak is.
The firmer the steak the more well done the steak is.
Don’t keep slicing into the steak since you release all the juices and cause the steak to be dry!
When the steak is done, let it rest and then slice thin.
Place the relish on the sliced bread followed by the thinly sliced steak.

https://livingthegourmet.com/2017/11/skirt-steak-appetizers-bell-pepper-relish.html

Calories

882 cal

Fat

41 g

Carbs

121 g

Protein

5 g

Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info

Enjoy with Love!

Cranberry, Walnut and Honey Spread

0 · Aug 24, 2017 · 11 Comments

Thank you Breton for sponsoring this post. Make everyday entertaining better with Breton!

This Cranberry, Walnut and Honey Spread is a perfect way to end off the summer. It is a light, delicious spread that combines that some of our favorite Fall flavors.

We’ve all heard the trope that we “Make our own happiness,” and while I have a tendency here to poke thinly veiled fun at assorted clichés, before I do let’s play a little thought experiment, one I learned from a gray-eyed professor of mine some years ago.

“Let’s turn the classroom in a waiting parlor. To each of you, I’ve allotted an hour glass filled with a random amount of sand. On the demonstration table, you see that I have arranged several different colored boxes, which I will be opening at random intervals during the course of this exercise. On your desks are sealed envelopes. In those envelopes, you will find your personalized instructions.”

While no two students received precisely the same instruction, the instructions more or less followed a certain theme, make educated guesses as to the contents of each box based on its exterior design and color, pen a brief sophist style essay as to why the contents of the boxes ought to have been different as they were opened, or forfeit the exercise altogether, again penning a creative piece as to why the boxes were, in essence, representative of a set of lies. In each case, the student’s participation was over once their clock ran out, at which point they were to leave the classroom, returning again once the exercise had finished. Optionally, all students had the choice to simply wait out their assigned clock entirely, provided they did so in perfect and undisturbed silence.

The catch? Waiting out the clock guaranteed a perfect score.

“Those of you who waited, congratulations, you have perfect marks. However, look around the room and tell me, in light of the purpose of this class, was your time more valuably spent than the time of your more creatively inclined classmates? That judgment, of course, is yours to make.”

Naturally, befitting a philosophically-inclined ethics course, the ‘waiting parlor’ was representative of life itself, and was meant to convey the importance of effort, creativity, and risk-taking.

In our busy ‘modern lives,’ those three values often take a back to seat to the auto-pilot inducing trance of our perpetually ‘busy schedules.’

I found myself thinking about this the other day, when at the end of a long line of content creation, and I remembered I had an old friend stopping by for an early evening visit. I’ll admit that I was quite tempted to simply reschedule – to more or less let the ‘autopilot’ of my schedule carry on.

Naturally, being who and what I am, once my subconscious phrased the proposition in more or less those terms, I simply couldn’t give in.

That being said, I decided to put together something that was at once seasonal, simple, and of course delicious.

Of course, this brings us to today’s recipe – a Cranberry, Walnut and Honey Spread served with Breton Artisanal Cranberry and Ancient Grains crackers.

We start off with about a cup of plain cream cheese and set that in a food processor with fresh lemon juice, a few tablespoons of honey, black pepper, a pinch of salt and dried cranberries. Pulse this mixture until it is nice and creamy or to your desired consistency if you like it a bit crunchy…

After that, assemble the mixture on the crackers, and for this, I do prefer Breton, due to their reliable quality, which makes them a perfect solution for those busy occasions where you don’t want to skimp on flavor. Add to that the wide variety of delicious flavors and texture in which they’re available, and you’ve got a cracker perfect for every occasion and any palette.

Living the Gourmet

Yields 4-6

Cranberry, Walnut and Honey Spread

10 minPrep Time

2 minCook Time

12 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

8 oz. block of cream cheese
½ cup of whole walnuts – gently heated
¼ cup of dried cranberries
1 ½ tbs. of honey
Juice of ½ lemon
½ tsp. fresh ground black pepper
Pinch of salt

Instructions

Heat a small cast iron frying pan and place the walnuts in the pan for a minute or two; let the walnuts cool for a minute or two.
In a food processor combine the cream cheese, walnuts, cranberries, honey, lemon juice, fresh ground black pepper and a pinch of salt.
Process until a desired consistency is reached.
Enjoy on the Brenton Artisanal Cranberry and Ancient Grains crackers.

https://livingthegourmet.com/2017/08/cranberry-walnut-honey-spread.html

Once you’ve assembled a tray of the crackers and the mixture, garnish the tops of the crackers with additional dried cranberries and walnut pieces. Serve along with your favorite early evening beverage, and you’re good to go.

Now, who says making one’s own happiness need be complicated?

Enjoy with Love!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Spicy Hummus

0 · Aug 8, 2017 · 17 Comments

Hummus is one of the healthiest, easiest recipes you can make. Find out how homemade hummus is only a handful of ingredients away!

My professor had an idea about…ideas, and yes, I am taking today as the occasion to share that idea about ideas with you.

“They are like ghosts, they travel at the speed of thought, are only seen by those to whom they choose to reveal themselves. Ideas are unimpeded by borders or fortifications, and very often outlast those to whom they owe their genesis.”

Food is no exception. Recipes, after all, begin their existence as ‘ideas.’ Thus, the old adage “Good food knows no borders.”

Hummus, perhaps, is a perfect example of this. Take for example Turkish style hummus, in which butter is often substituted for olive oil, and in which yogurt is sometimes added to the blend. Speaking from experience, Greeks would recoil at the idea of adding those sorts of dairy items to their beloved chickpea, garlic, and olive oil dip. Likewise, hummus from the levant exists in far wider varieties, sometimes being made from ful (fava beans), with meat and/or mushrooms added in, and can vary wildly in consistency and in the amount of tahini used.

This, of course, brings us to today’s recipe – Hummus with Za’atar and Paprika.

Relatively simple to throw together, this is a perfect starter recipe, pairing deliciously with your choice of sliced vegetables, crusty bread, or crackers. If you really want to be fancy or ‘authentic,’ you could also pair this with a side bowl of seasoned dipping olive oil to spread over the hummus once you’ve spooned it onto the bread.

That said, this is a thicker consistency hummus, in which the garlic and spices really come through to create a robust flavor profile.

To start things off, we combine the chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper in our food processor, and blend until it’s relatively smooth but not pasty. Then sprinkle the resulting the mixture with the spices listed below, some chopped parsley, and an extra splash of olive oil and you’re done.

Living the Gourmet

Yields 4-6

Spicy Hummus

8 minPrep Time

8 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

1 (14 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup tahini paste
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic
salt and pepper to taste
juice of 1 lemon
Zaatar, paprika, sumac, or any desired spice
2 tablespoons Parsley, plus more for garnish

Instructions

In a food processor, blend chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, parsley, salt, and pepper until smooth.
Sprinkle with your favorite spice, a few leaves of chopped parsley and an extra drizzle of olive oil. Serve alongside your favorite snack or vegetable.

https://livingthegourmet.com/2017/08/spicy-hummus.html

Today we’re pleased to be hosting a little summertime giveaway to one lucky LTG reader! Be sure to enter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

P.S. Check out our other giveaway HERE! 😉

Enjoy with Love!

Salsa Fresca

0 · Jun 21, 2017 · 17 Comments

Welcome summer with the vibrant flavors of this Salsa Fresca alongside Mission Organics® Tortilla Chips! All opinions are entirely my own.

“Learn to love change,” we are taught, and yet we, as a species, have evolved to hate it. Change represents the unknown and the unexpected – that which is beyond the ability of our biological computers to perceive and assess. For a species whose sole strength rests between their ears, it is perhaps not surprising that no concept could be more frightening.

Of course, few things are more enduring and ‘unchanging’ than the presence of constant flux.

Case in point, picture a quiet summer afternoon, one of those rare days where everything is going according to plan. Work has been wrapped up early, and there’s nothing left except to enjoy a freshly manicured yard, a well-arranged porch, and a salty breeze lashing in from the bay. It’s one of those rare days where ‘the expected’ isn’t merely a dream, it actually seems to be happening. Then, expectedly, the unexpected happens. The phone rings, and you learn that your home is to be the site of an impromptu summer get together…the following afternoon. Instantly, ‘change’ had entered the situation…

Of course, I’m talking about myself, and of course I’m talking about a few friends inviting themselves over on delightfully short notice.

Regardless of how ‘rushed’ my preparations for this surprise get together were destined to be, the summer is still the summer, and that means the guests want things to look and feel relaxed, even if ‘behind the scenes’ nothing could be further from the truth. This meant I started things off with a quick order from Amazon Fresh for a few bags of Mission Organics® Tortilla Chips, in particular, the Blue Corn, Yellow Corn, White Corn, and Multigrain, since with Prime membership I’d have the chips that afternoon. While they’re also available at most local stores, ordering from Amazon Fresh meant one less trip and one less headache inside of my newly crunched schedule. You can find a store near you with this store locator, and while you’re there you will find more delicious recipes. The Yellow Corn and Multigrain varieties are new to the market and a wonderful addition.

Now, while I’m a professed and practiced classicalist, a student of Plato despite all of my Aristotelian and Aquinean studies, I must confess that my most ‘lived’ philosophy comes from, of all places, Oscar Wilde, since in all things, “I’m a woman of simple tastes, I’m always satisfied with the best.”

This, of course, means I vastly prefer that my salsa come fresh from a vine as opposed to sealed inside a pressurized jar, which brings us nicely to today’s recipe – Fresh Salsa, which pairs perfectly with Mission’s USDA organic certified and non-GMO project verified tortilla chips.

To start things off, we begin by heating either a large cast iron frying pan or griddle and set out the peppers, garlic, onion, and tomatoes so that they get a nice char. During this process, watch for the onion to soften slightly, then peel and slice it and let the slices achieve a nice char. Once that is done, let them all cool down, then skin the garlic, and slice the peppers. If you want to limit the heat of the salsa, remove the pepper seeds.

After that, set this all in a food processor, along with the spices, some anchovies, fresh dill, lemon juice, honey and olive oil and then process until your desired consistency is reached, and just like that, you’ve got a homemade salsa.

Living the Gourmet

Yields 6-8

Salsa Fresca

5 minPrep Time

15 minCook Time

20 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

2 red bell peppers – grilled
1 large sweet onion – grilled
1 lb. grape tomatoes – grilled
6 cloves garlic – grilled
1 jalapeno – grilled
1 Italian long hot pepper - grilled
3 anchovies
2 tbs. fresh dill
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
½ tsp. chili powder
½ tsp. ground cumin
2 tbs. honey
Juice of ½ fresh lemon
2 tbs. olive oil
1 bag of Mission Organics® Tortilla Chips

Instructions

Heat a large cast iron frying pan or griddle. Place the peppers, garlic, onion and tomatoes on the griddle to form a nice char. When the onion has softened slightly, slice the onion and allow a nice char to from.
Let the vegetables cool slightly, remove the garlic from its skin and slice the peppers and remove the seeds if you like less heat from the salsa.
Place all of the cooled vegetables in a food processor, along with the spices, fresh dill, anchovies, lemon juice, honey and olive oil.
Process until the desired consistency is reached.
Refrigerate until ready you are ready to serve and store any leftover salsa in the refrigerator.
Serve alongside Mission Organics Tortilla Chips.

https://livingthegourmet.com/2017/06/salsa-fresca.html

Calories

130 cal

Fat

8 g

Carbs

12 g

Protein

1 g

Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info

What are some of your favorite ‘relaxed’ summer recipes? We would love to hear from you.

Enjoy with Love!

Spinach Empanadillas

0 · May 31, 2017 · 10 Comments

Traditionally these little pies are fried, but we’ve baked ours to a flaky perfection with a delicious spinach and currant stuffing that is sweet and savory!

“When you make your plans, enjoy making them. In our minds, our ‘great escapes’ are the stuff of dreams, an exercise in naïve perfection. Enjoy that perfect version of whatever you’re about to undertake, because as experience will surely teach you, the planning is the best part of anything.” I can’t recall if I heard that from one of my professors or a priest back in the day, but this summer I’ll admit I don’t think I’ve ever related quite so well to those words – and for the silliest of reasons.

I had been ‘planning’ away much of the winter, thinking about what were to be my ‘agricultural triumphs’ come summer, and how I would get to relate them here on Living the Gourmet, and plate them for my pictures. After so many years of never ‘quite’ getting my gardens right, this was to be the year, and a box garden was to be the method. However, I’ll ask you to instead picture a frustrated would-be ‘suburban farmer’ sitting by her window glaring hopelessly at her empty box garden. You see, while, New York in the autumn is a pleasant cliché, the stuff of songs, novels, and Broadway plays, New York in the summer is another beast entirely, rife with thick humidity and protracted heat waves – which also makes for great amateur gardening. However, that version of Northeastern American summer has been pleasantly, if frustratingly, absent.

I had ‘planned’ on setting the groundwork (literally) for things like fresh basil and tomatoes by about this time, but grey skies, and a comfortable chill in the air that refuses to leave for more than a day or two at time…well, let’s say the weather had its own plans.

However, my summer spirit hardly begins and ends at the garden’s edge, and fate has a funny way of giving you that proverbial ‘kick in the pants.’ You see, just as my thoughts were turning as grey as these chilled summer skies, I received a call and a friend invited herself over for an early dinner.

Naturally, that’s where today’s recipe comes in – Spinach Empanadillas.

To start things off, we prep the filling as directed below, heating up some olive in a large cast iron frying pan, and toss the spinach until it wilts. Once your spinach is nice and wilted…don’t give me that look, add in the garlic, anchovies, a bit of salt and pepper, and toss it again. Then finish it off with the raisins and chopped nuts.

Of course, once that’s done, it’s time for the fun part – rolling dough. Don’t you just love when I say that? After rolling out the pastry dough to about a quarter of an inch in thickness, your going to cut out about twenty circular portions as shown below. A simple trick for this is using the business end of a jar to achieve even circles. Yes, I’m well aware jars comes in different shapes and sizes, pick your favorite.

Once that’s done, you’ve a bit further to go before calling it quits. Spoon out about a tablespoon of filling into the center of each circle, brush the edges with a bit of water, and then fold and seal as shown below, and then brush with the egg wash as shown below, and bake for twenty minutes.

Living the Gourmet

Yields 2 dozen

Spinach Empanadillas

15 minPrep Time

30 minCook Time

45 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

¼ cup raisins – chopped
1½ tbs. olive oil
1 lb. of fresh baby spinach
2 oz. can of anchovies – chopped
2 cloves of garlic – chopped
¼ cup of walnuts – chopped
1 egg – beaten
2 sheets Puff Pastry
Salt and Black pepper to taste

Instructions

For the Filling:
Heat the olive oil in a large cast iron frying pan; add the spinach and toss over a low heat, just until it begins to wilt.
Add the chopped anchovies, garlic and dash of salt and black pepper and toss over a low heat for a minute or two; then toss in the raisins and chopped nuts.
Remove from the pan and place in a colander; then set in a bowl to cool down.
Preheat Oven to 350 F.
On a lightly floured surface roll out the puff pastry dough to ¼ inch thickness.
Using a cover to a large jar cut out approximately 20 rounds, then re-roll the scraps and cut these into rounds as well.
Place a tablespoon of the filling in the center of each round. Brush the edges with a little water then fold and seal, pressing together with the edge of a fork. Brush each one with the egg wash.
Place the pies on a prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 15 – 20 minutes until puffed and a beautiful golden color is achieved.

https://livingthegourmet.com/2017/05/spinach-empanadillas.html

Fat

1 g

Protein

3 g

Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info

Now go pour yourself something cold, you’ve earned it.

These are great either as appetizers with a nice antipasto, or as a side to your entrée, and never fail to impress. And while not really sure what or why, to me these just scream warm weather dinning.

Enjoy with Love!

Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese Toppers

0 · Apr 25, 2017 · 14 Comments

Thank you RITZ Crackers for sponsoring this post. Be sure to grab RITZ Crackers from a Target near you today, for all your spring entertaining needs!

Welcome Spring with these delectable bites! Cream cheese is whipped with a burst of fresh lemon, garden chives and bits of bacon. Piped over RITZ Crackers and topped with smoked salmon these toppers are sure to wow the crowd!

While I am well aware that Oscar Wilde was of the opinion that “Quotation is a serviceable substitute for wit,” humor me in so far as that “The change from storm and winter to serene and mild weather, from dark and sluggish hours to bright and elastic ones, is a memorable crisis which all things proclaim. It is seemingly instantaneous at last,” as Thoreau so eloquently described the onset of spring.

The start of spring is…already well committed to the verse of those far more eloquent than I. Put simply, whatever spell is cast over the earth that causes the sun to hang longer in the sky, and to bring forth life from the still and silent grey of winter, also lures us humans from the shelter of our living rooms and out into the ‘wilderness’ that lies beyond the ‘mighty frontier’ of our decks.

Like many, one of my first rituals each year is to add my own bit of ‘life’ to the earth’s regeneration with the planting of an herb garden. This early in the season, the garden is still in its ‘indoor’ phase, and will be transplanted to the earth in the coming weeks. Anyone who follows Living the Gourmet is already well acquainted with my fondness for ‘garden fresh’ ingredients, chief among them being basil, oregano, parsley, and chives.

I was able to start my garden early this year thanks to Target, where I found seeds, plant starters and even little tin buckets to adorn my windowsill. So far, everything has come together lovely.

This fondness for fresh ingredients plays directly into another of my seasonal rituals, my absolute favorite part of the season – the first few outdoors gatherings. The combination of crisp air, sunlight freed from the grasp of winter, and fresh ingredients, is simply impossible to surpass. For example, think Caprese Ladybugs using RITZ Crackers, prepared with fresh cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, green onions, and bocconcini cheese, topped with black sesame seeds and olives.

It was with all of that in mind that I decided to invite a few friends over for one such early spring get together. It would be a relaxed affair featuring light appetizers served out on the deck. After a quick stop at Target for the RITZ Crackers and cream cheese I would need for today’s recipe, it was time to begin.

To start things off, we begin by crisping about six slices of bacon, which we chop finely. After that’s done, we combine about half of the bacon with cream cheese, chives, lemon juice, lemon zest, freshly ground black pepper, and milk in a food processor – and process.

Using a piping bag, we prep the cream cheese mixture onto the Ritz Crackers as shown below, and then top with lox, followed by some bits of bacon, and then the fresh chives, and you’re done.

Living the Gourmet

Yields 12

Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese Toppers

10 minPrep Time

10 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

12 RITZ Crackers
16 oz. of cream cheese
6 slices of crisp bacon, chopped
½ cup of fresh chopped chives, chopped
2 tbs. of fresh lemon juice
Zest of 1 fresh lemon
1 tsp. of fresh ground black pepper
1 tbs. of milk
Fresh lox, sliced thin

Instructions

In a food processor combine the cream cheese, half of the chopped bacon, ¼ cup of the chopped chives, the lemon juice, lemon zest, fresh ground black pepper and the tablespoon of milk.
Process until all of the ingredients are incorporated and the mixture is slightly smooth.
Using a piping bag squeeze the spread onto a RITZ Cracker and top with the lox followed by the crumbled bacon and finally topped with the fresh chives.

https://livingthegourmet.com/2017/04/smoked-salmon-cream-cheese-toppers.html

Calories

259 cal

Fat

19 g

Carbs

14 g

Protein

8 g

Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info

The end result is a super simple, delicious appetizer platter perfect for those early spring get-togethers. If you’re interested in more recipes using RITZ, follow this link.

What are some of your favorite spring recipes? We would love to hear from you.

Enjoy with Love!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Fresh Cream Cheese Gremolata Toppers

0 · Jun 28, 2016 · 17 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MadeForMore #Walmart #CollectiveBias

Cool cream cheese is whipped with a homemade Gremolata then topped over a variety of TRISCUIT crackers for an easy, effortless hors d’oeuvre.

I wrote recently about ‘simplicity,’ and how it can be a virtue unto itself – and that the culinary industry is no exception. For example, I recently interviewed Michael Symon, and that’s one of his key messages, and the theme behind his recent book Five in Five which we featured here on Living the Gourmet.

Strangely, keeping things ‘merely simple’ can be a challenge, making it no wonder that Plato remarked that brevity and simplicity is within the realm of excellence. Indeed, a large chunk of the food industry is devoted to teaching people how to do ‘simple things’ in short amounts of time, and usually on a budget. These are often little things like impressing one’s guests as effortlessly as possible, or putting together a quick but delicious meal on a weeknight, or even just time-savers for the summer months.

For example, let’s say it’s a summer afternoon, you’re expecting company and you’ve been planning to sit them out on your deck. However, as fate would have it, the weather does not comply. Instead of ‘mere rain,’ which the roof of your porch can turn into a graceful spell out in the elements, the day is struck with something that not even your porch can abide – blistering sun and smothering humidity. Here in New York that combination is especially unenjoyable, and on such days it’s best to simply surrender and move the company indoors. Of course, that makes the entertaining part of that equation a bit less ‘effortless.’

That is precisely the predicament in which I found myself the other day. Needless to say, I needed to make some last minute adjustments to what I would be serving, which is where today’s recipe comes in.

To start, I would need an easy appetizer that I could prepare on the spot without the use of the grill, and with what I had available on hand. Fortunately, I had some TRISCUIT Original Crackers on hand as well as the new TRISCUIT Mediterranean Olive Crackers from the Artisanal variety, both of which I had picked up at Walmart a few days earlier. I decided they would pair nicely with a Fresh Cream Cheese Gremolata. Simple, delicious, and sure to impress.

Since I was going to make a Gremolata for the original appetizer I had been planning to prepare anyway, I had all of the ingredients on hand, which included fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and Italian parsley – all the standards. I then combined those with a cup of cream cheese as shown below, mixed in salt, pepper, nutmeg and milk as needed, and I was done.

After that, I topped each cracker as shown below, garnished with parsley, and I had a perfect summer appetizer that would pair perfectly with my bay window and the rain.

Living the Gourmet

Fresh Cream Cheese Gremolata Hors D’oeuvres

8 minPrep Time

8 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

8 oz. cream cheese
2 cloves of garlic
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tbs. fresh lemon juice
Handful of fresh Italian parsley
1 inch piece of parmesan cheese
Dash freshly grated nutmeg
1½ tbs. milk
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
TRISCUIT Original Crackers
TRISCUIT Mediterranean Olive Crackers

Instructions

Combine all of the ingredients for the Gremalata in a food processor and process until a creamy consistency is achieved. Note: add the 1 1/2 tbs. of milk to the processor as needed to achieve the creaminess desired.
Place the Cream Cheese Gremalata in a piping bag and pipe over your desired flavor of TRISCUIT crackers.
Sprinkle with parsley for added garnish.

https://livingthegourmet.com/2016/06/fresh-cream-cheese-gremolata-hors-doeuvres.html

Calories

19 cal

Fat

1 g

Carbs

2 g

Protein

1 g

Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info

What are some of your favorite summer appetizers? We would love to hear from you.

Don’t forget to find TRUSCUIT on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Also, for more recipe inspiration, check out other delicious ideas here.

Pick up your favorite TRISCUIT crackers today at Walmart and choose from TRISCUIT Reduced Fat Crackers, TRISCUIT Hint of Salt Crackers, and TRISCUIT Cracked Pepper & Olive Crackers. While you are there, be sure to check out the new flavors from the Artisanal line which include TRISCUIT Smoked Gouda Crackers and TRISCUIT Sriracha Crackers.

Enjoy with Love!

The Perfect Charcuterie Board

0 · Jun 22, 2016 · 17 Comments

Balmy summer evenings are best spent at home with close company and good food. We’re getting the party started with this assorted charcuterie board.

First impressions are a bit of a strange thing. A bad first impression can turn gold into lead, while a good first impression can wipe away all flaws – at least for a time. In other words, they are often illusory rather than material, setting a tone and shaping perception as opposed to anything qualitative. In the food industry, ‘presentation’ is essentially a chef’s ‘first impression.’ Before anything is tasted, the palette is ‘prepared’ by vision, aroma, and general atmosphere – this is why how a dish ‘looks’ is almost as important as how it actually ‘tastes.’ After all, there’s a reason Cervantes remarked “That which costs little is less valued”; the illusion of the presentation and perception.

For example, how many times have we been ‘shocked’ that a pricey wine just isn’t that great, or that the cheap bottle from some ‘upstart’ vineyard won a gold prize? It begins with out perception of both bottles.

Whether for a Michelin dining room, or our own get-togethers, presentation, that all important first impression, remains key to impressing the guests. For that reason, my first bit of advice, whether for hosting a formal dinner party or a casual summer barbecue, always goes back to your guests’ first experience – the antipasto. Paired to the meal, a good antipasto will set the tone for the evening, allowing your guests to enjoy both one another and good food from the moment they arrive.

Personally, and I’m entering heresy territory here given the culinary world’s penchant for all things new and vogue, but I’ve always been a bit old fashioned when it comes to my appetizer platters. Wine, cheese, cured meats, olives, a bit of infused olive oil, and a good loaf of crusty bread, are hard to go wrong with, and pair well with virtually any Mediterranean dish you can put together.

For example, if I’m preparing a red wine sauce, or a piece of full-bodied herbed fish, I’ll default to my favorite charcuterie board, and enhance it with some of my homemade crisped Italian bread slices, which I cut super thin and then brush with olive oil and seasonings – a sure way to impress even the most discerning of guests.

Now, what do I actually put on this complexly named board?

That’s where today’s recipe comes in. After talking with a few recently made friends, Love Iberico was brought to my attention, a company that specializes in Iberian cured meats, which they describe as being “A Cut Above.” Having never tried Iberian cured meats before, I naturally couldn’t resist, and ordered several of Love Iberico’s products.

Now, believe me when I say that there are few things in life so exciting for a self-made gourmet as receiving a box of meat in the mail – life’s gastronomic joys. I assembled the platter with Iberico Pork Dry Cured Salchichon Sausage, which is a salami-style cured meat, and included slices of Iberico Pork Dry Cured Chorizo Sausage for a bit of subtle spice, and paired that with a few slices of warmed Brie and Blue cheese. Finally, 100% Iberico Pork Acorn-Fed Dry Cured Loin and olives rounded out the board, which I assembled.

However, no antipasto is complete without an assortment of grilled peppers to pair with the bread crisps. To keep things seasonal, I added in a few stone fruits and a light Caprese salad on the side; and that evening’s ‘First Impression’ was ready to serve.

Living the Gourmet

Yields 4-6

The Perfect Charcuterie Board

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Ingredients

Roasted Peppers:

4 – 5 large bell peppers – grilled, scraped and sliced
1 large sweet onion – grilled and sliced
½ head of garlic – grilled whole in its skin
2 long hot peppers or jalapeno peppers – grilled, scraped and sliced
6 – 8 fresh basil leaves - chopped
1 tbs. of capers – chopped
2 tbs. of caper juice
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. dried oregano
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
4 tbs. olive oil

Caprese Salad:

16 oz. mozzarella balls
1 pint cherry tomatoes
6 – 8 fresh basil leaves – ripped
¼ - ½ tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. fresh ground black pepper
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. dries oregano
4 – 5 tbs. olive oil

Charcuterie Board:

Iberico Pork Dry Cured Salchichon Sausage, for serving
Iberico Pork Dry Cured Chorizo Sausage, for serving
100% Iberico Pork Acorn-Fed Dry Cured Loin, for serving
Honey, for drizzling
Fresh Strawberries
Grapes
1/4 cup Kalamata Olives mixed with 1/2 teaspoon capers
2 Grilled Peaches
Artisan bread crisps or crackers
Walnuts, for serving (optional)

Instructions

Roasted Peppers:

Heat a large cast iron frying pan.
Place the peppers, onion and garlic. Grill until the skin is well charred.
Allow to cool; then scrape the charred skin off, remove the seeds and slice.
Chop the basil and add the seasonings to taste and the olive oil; toss.
Place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Caprese Salad:

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl; toss and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Charcuterie Board:

Assemble your board with the grilled peppers and Caprese salad.
Arrange the fruits and cheese all around.
Place the dried meats in the center of the board.
Drizzle honey over the grilled peaches, warmed brie and nuts.
Decorate the platter with flowers and herbs.
Serve alongside toasted bread and wine.

https://livingthegourmet.com/2016/06/perfect-charcuterie-board.html

Calories

302 cal

Fat

31 g

Carbs

8 g

Protein

1 g

Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info

Needless to say, I was very pleased with products from Love Iberico, which were simply delicious, and of excellent quality. I certainly intend on serving them again.

What are some of your favorite recipes for putting together an antipasto? Or what are some of your ways for starting a dinner party off right? We would love to hear from you.

Enjoy!

Cilantro and White Bean Dip

0 · Apr 5, 2016 · 13 Comments

This delicious dip is a perfect start to all those Spring gatherings. Fresh and bursting with flavor, enjoy with warmed pita, chips or alongside your favorite meal.

Last week seemed like a dream in comparison to this week.

I was outside sitting in the sun, starting up my flower beds. It seemed as if Spring was finally in the air and what a wonderful feeling it gave me after such a long winter.

Now, the cold is back and it seems that Spring may still be a little ways off.

I decided to keep the menu fresh, still holding on to that bit of Spring.

What I love the post about my Cilantro and White Bean Dip is how it pairs perfectly well with pork chops, chicken, vegetable slices, whatever your imagination can think of.

Honestly though, it’s best on its own, with warmed slices of pita that I heated on the griddle with just a sprinkle of cheese.

The warm spices and honey melds perfectly together with the creaminess of the blended white beans, roasted peppers and fresh cilantro.

Living the Gourmet

Yields 4

Cilantro and White Bean Dip

5 minPrep Time

10 minCook Time

15 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

For the Dip:

1 bunch of fresh cilantro
14 oz. can of white beans – drained
3 cloves of garlic – roasted
1 red bell pepper – roasted
Juice of 1/2 lemon
3 tbs. olive oil
2 tbs. honey
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. ground cumin

Serve with:

Pita bread
Shredded mozzarella

Instructions

For the Dip:

Combine all of the above ingredients in a food processor and process.

Warmed Pita:

Serve with grilled pita bread melted with shredded mozzarella or your favorite shredded cheese.

https://livingthegourmet.com/2016/04/cilantro-white-bean-dip.html

Living the Gourmet: Cilantro and White Bean Dip

Enjoy with Love!

Parmesan Chicken Bites

0 · Jan 26, 2016 · 9 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #GameDaySnackHacks #CollectiveBias

Let Farm Rich help make your gameday spread easy and delicious! Today we’re vamping up their boneless BBQ & Buffalo Chicken Bites into a delicious parmesan-style appetizer in three easy steps!

There are very few things in life that one cannot ever have too much of, and sadly most of them are metaphoric in nature. For example one can never have too much “laughter,” “love,” or “sunrises.” While that’s certainly all well and good, what about the material things we can never have too much of? Oddly, I found myself thinking about this other day, and after I realized that even too much oxygen will turn fatally toxic, I had all but despaired.

I was in the midst of this existential crisis when my older brother called and invited himself, along with a few friends, for a game day party. Cue the epiphany.

Yes, game day parties are one of those rare items that one can never truly over indulge in, since for the true sports enthusiast rallying with like-minded fans over trays of appropriately ‘gamey’ food is akin to feasting in Valhalla.

And there’s a simple reason for this. Like the ‘feasts’ of old, the act of sport is a social expression of organized comradery and competition, equal parts entertainment, athleticism, and social construct. As a result, it’s only natural that the best way to watch and enjoy a sport is, well, socially.

Speaking of feasts, as anyone who frequents Living the Gourmet knows, when my friends and family get together to enjoy a game, the feast is almost exclusively mine to provide. You also probably know that I always like to keep things new and fresh, challenging myself to try to constantly put a new spin our game meals, a sort of ‘game behind the game’ that I play against myself. This time, however, things were going to be a little simpler than usual, since it would be a smaller gathering than most.

Which brings us to today’s recipe. While I of course wanted to keep things interesting, I wanted a meal that would match the mood of the night – easy, relaxed, and thoroughly enjoyable.

It was with that in mind that I set off to Walmart to pick up the supplies for the party. Yet, I was still largely planning the menu while I roamed the aisles.

You see, while I had an idea, most of the particulars were still up in the air, that is, until I came across Boneless BBQ Chicken Bites, Buffalo Chicken Bites, and Mozzarella Bites from Farm Rich. It’s a brand I’ve come to rely on for snacks and appetizers for just these kinds of gatherings. Since they are made from real ingredients and are Real-Life Good™, they help me free up time no matter what life is throwing at me. Grab your coupon at FarmRich.com and join the loyalty club to receive exclusive offers and promotions on your favorite brand!

However, I wasn’t ‘simply’ serving Buffalo Chicken Bites or BBQ Bites. Instead, I prepared a BBQ and Buffalo Chicken Parmesan Bites, as shown below, then paired them with the Mozarella Bites and a marinara dipping sauce. The end result was absolutely quintessential game food – hardy, finger friendly, and delicious. And, just like that, I was able to combine a number of familiar and welcome flavors with a much welcomed twist.

Living the Gourmet

Yields 6

Mozzarella Bites Parmesan Chicken Bites

10 minPrep Time

15 minCook Time

25 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

1 Box Farm Rich Mozzarella Bites
Your favorite marinara sauce
2 boxes Farm Rich Boneless BBQ Chicken Bites
2 boxes Farm Rich Buffalo Chicken Bites
16 ounces mozzarella - shredded
Your favorite marinara sauce
Grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Instructions

Prepare the Mozzarella Bites as directed.
Serve with your favorite marinara sauce.
Place the Buffalo Chicken Bites in a large bowl and toss with the flavor packet to assure each bite is coated; repeat this process with the BBQ Chicken Bites. Place all of the chicken bites on a baking pan.
Bake according to directions and half-way through the baking process turn the chicken bites over and place the marinara sauce on each chicken bite and top each chicken bite with shredded mozzarella cheese.
Place back in the oven to finish cooking.
Serve with marinara sauce and grated Parmesan cheese or Romano cheese.

https://livingthegourmet.com/2016/01/parmesan-chicken-bites.html

Living the Gourmet: Parmesan Chicken Bites | #GameDaySnackHacks #Ad

What are some of your favorite game day recipes? We would absolutely love to hear from you.

Don’t forget to show how your a Super Fan this gameday by entering the Farm Rich Sweepstakes to win prizes like $100 Gift Card to Walmart and 1 Year Free of Farm Rich products!

Enjoy with Love,
Catherine
xo

Ultimate Gameday Snack Stadium

0 · Jan 11, 2016 · 10 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #GameDayGlory #CollectiveBias

Get the party started with this fun gameday creation feature some of our favorite brands and snacks!

George Orwell remarked that “Serious sport is a war without shooting.”

As any observer can plainly see, sport of any strand can become quit tense. The contestants step out into the coliseum, a rush of wind stings across their bodies beaded over with the first night’s sweat born of anxious anticipation. Their eyes range the crowds, and raucous cheering and shouting sweeps from end to end of stadium in waves. There are celebrities housed in private booths, while the politicians and their patrons are nearest to the action, making sure to be just near enough to the common masses to appear empathetic. After a while, the contestants shout back, driving the crowds into ever greater frenzies, even as silent mantras ring between the ears of the athletes, “Do or die,” “Victory to the Bold,” “Last shot at glory,” and “Remember who you are.” Before the starting signal sounds, flags and banners are unfurled, and patriotic songs silence the crowds. A number of the athletes take these final moments for prayer to a god of their choosing, their entire lives having culminated into this moment. The signal blares, and instinct does the rest.

If the preceding paragraphs sounds like a familiar sports scene, it actually probably shouldn’t, since it is a rough paraphrasing of several contemporaneous descriptions of gladiators preparing to do combat in the Roman Colosseum from nearly two millennia ago.

As is evident, the love of sport, and the seriousness with which it is regarded, whether taking the form of bloody gladiatorial duels millennia ago, or modern golf, is engrained within much of the human psyche. For some it is simply the thrill of the contest, for others it’s the clash of opposing bodies and spirits in a test of power and will, or the comradery of cheering on a team. For others, however, it is simply the ‘event’ of the matter.

In the scheme of things, I find my position not dissimilar to the bakers who provided ‘game food’ to the teaming masses that packed the colosseum in ancient Rome. You see, in my family, like so many others, it is as if the season casts a spell over my friends and relatives , and the Big Games become the focus of, well, more or less everything. I embrace this, since it provides us with excellent excuses for copious numbers of cold weather gatherings that in all likelihood would probably not occur otherwise. However, as with any routine, keeping things fresh, interesting and special, especially right after the holidays, can be a bit of a challenge – no matter how beloved the center of the event.

I was in Walmart, making a supply run for snacks for one of my family’s game day parties, and was talking about precisely this with an acquaintance of mine, and she made a passing mention of a “Snack Stadium” at a party she had been to recently. What she described was, in essence, a ‘stadium’ crafted from all manner of game-appropriate food, from nachos and brownies, to fried items, chips and dips.

After we had finished talking, I searched for pictures of one of these ‘eatable stadiums’ on my phone, and much to my surprise this was actually a thing. Needless, not only had I found a fresh item for my own game parties, but it was something I was absolutely certain my brothers and their families would love.

After perusing images that ranged from magnificent game-feasts to well-intentioned messes, all either expertly or only vaguely resembling stadiums, I had made up my mind. I would transform my living room table into a stadium crafted from deli meats and nachos, with a playing field of guacamole. I could only hope it would turn out as wild and random as it sounded.

First things being first, I picked up a few party size bags of TOSTITOS® CHIPS, along with a few bottles of TOSTITOS® Chunky Salsa, and some cheddar cheese for nachos. I then picked up a bag of SNICKERS® Minis 40oz, which I would repurpose into fudge brownies. Next on my list were the ingredients for my rainbow sugar cookies, which I decided to top with Skittles®, and so I picked up the XL 41 oz bag. Naturally, since no game day party is complete without a wall constructed of soda, I picked up a few Pepsi™ 12 oz. 12 packs. After that was done, I assembled the stadium with deli meats, cheeses, my homemade guacamole, sliced Italian bread, olives, homemade coleslaw and potato salad.

Living the Gourmet

Skittles Sugar Cookies

5 minPrep Time

8 minCook Time

13 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

1 package sugar cookie mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup each of Skittles® flavors, divided

Instructions

Divide each of the Skittles® flavors and pulse them in a food processor until very fine.
Place each Skittles® flavor in separate bowls.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, mix sugar cookie mix, eggs and butter until a soft cookie dough forms.
Roll 1 tablespoon amount of cookie dough into a ball. Line on cookie sheets and bake for 8 minutes.
Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and let cool. Taking a brush, brush a little water over each cookie and dip into the desired Skittles® flavor.

https://livingthegourmet.com/2016/01/ultimate-gameday-snack-stadium.html

Living the Gourmet: Ultimate Gameday Snack Stadium | #GameDayGlory #ad

Needless to say, I couldn’t have been happier with how it turned out, adding an extra dash of freshness and fun to my Big Game party.

What are some of your tips and tricks for game day parties? We would love to hear from you. Click here for more recipes and snack stadium ideas!

Enjoy with Love,
Catherine
xo

Italian Cheese Ball & A Happy New Year

0 · Dec 31, 2015 · 21 Comments

This post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almonds.

In the wake of another year gone by, we gather to celebrate the past year; to reflect, and to learn from. We gaze ahead towards a brighter future, in hopes that the New Year will bring us the peace, happiness and success we seek.

So in the spirit of celebration, a homemade antipasto platter is in order. Blended with the classic Italian flavors I love, then encrusted in a variety of chopped almonds, this cheese ball is a delight to whip up and enjoy.

“And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been,” as Rainer Maria Rilke quipped.

In sitting down to write this post for New Year’s Eve, I couldn’t help feeling as though my mind were traversing a vast desert of tired cliché phrasing, dramatic monologues, and painful ‘purple verse’ in perusing the ways in which our collective journey over the past year is so often commemorated, and the New Year greeted.

You see, standing at the edge of a closing year, I can’t help feeling like an artist at the end of a long project. Like the artist staring at a completed piece, the emotions are mixed. There’s a measure of pride in what I see, tempered by the moments of pain along the journey, and then of course my eyes can’t help resting on the stumbles where the chisel or brush didn’t quite hit the mark, and that reinforces the ever bitter uncertainty of what lies ahead, bitterness soon warmed by the hope for ‘can’ be.

The year itself, at its end, is framed like an increasingly foggy, oversized mosaic hung upon the wall of our mind’s memory, a mosaic that is either marred by mishaps, or graced by triumphs…or both. Yet, for all of the New Year’s celebrating and well-wishing, we are unwittingly in the process of hanging another oversized frame on the wall our memory. We title our first few pieces of the new mosaic things like “Resolve,” “Hope,” “Rebirth,” or “New Beginning.” In this way, ‘celebrating’ the New Year is itself entirely an act of hope and self-well-wishing. After all, when we wake up in the morning, no matter how mundane the day is meant to be, we are never guaranteed how it will unfold, we merely expect and hope, and try our best to direct it to a peaceful conclusion.

It is for this reason that I always like to start my New Year off with as pleasant a memory as possible, to start things off ‘the right way’ so to speak. After all, that first memory is the first bit of the new mosaic.

Being who and what I am, and doing ever what I do, that ‘pleasant memory’ is usually centered around something as simple as it is delicious, which of course means an evening at home with my son and daughter, with an evening full of food from beginning to end. This, of course, brings us to today’s recipe – an almond crusted Cheese Ball.

Don’t let the name fool you, this cheesiest of appetizers is assembled with aged Gorgonzola, fresh lemon juice for added zest, and cream cheese for binding, which I then coated in Blue Diamond Honey Roasted Almonds, along with Blue Diamond Lightly Salted Almonds for a bit of balance.

As a result, this Cheese Ball paired excellently with the accompanying spread of sliced salami, Kalamata olives, and herb infused oil alongside crusty Italian bread, which I assembled ahead of time to help me ring in the New Year this evening. The Cheese Ball, and its accompanying spread couldn’t possibly be easier to put together, while at same time being an appetizer that’s sure to impress your guests.

Living the Gourmet

Yields 8-10

Italian Cheese Ball

10 minPrep Time

10 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

8oz bar of cream cheese
4-5oz Gorgonzola cheese
3-inch piece of hard Italian salami, diced
3-4 tablespoons lemon juice
4-5 tablespoons Blue Diamond Lightly Salted and Honey Roasted Almonds, coarsely chopped

Instructions

Place the cream cheese, Gorgonzola, diced salami, and lemon juice in food processor. Process until creamy.
Remove cheese batter from bowl and form into a ball.
Place chopped nuts on smooth surface and roll the cheese ball in the nuts to coat on all sides.
Place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.
Serve alongside your favorite appetizers.

https://livingthegourmet.com/2015/12/italian-cheese-ball-a-happy-new-year.html

Living the Gourmet: Italian Cheese Balll #ad

What are some of your favorite New Year’s Eve recipes? We would love to hear from you.

Wishing you all a happy & healthy New Year!

Enjoy with Love,
Catherine
xo

5 Holiday Recipes To Try with Honey

0 · Dec 23, 2015 · 12 Comments

With Christmas and New Year’s just days away, give your holiday table a refresh with these creative dishes from this month’s Creative Cooking Crew.

I had the distinct pleasure of hosting the holiday edition of the Creative Cooking Crew. As previously stated, we all too a much need break and CCC when on a creative hiatus.

We did entertain the thought of breaking for the rest of the year, but I was already too filled with the holiday spirit to let it slide to the wayside.

The theme was simple – honey.

I chose honey because it is an ingredient that is utilized year-round. I love honey and lemon pound cakes in the spring, honey over fruit in the summer, and honey drizzled over cheese on chilly night with a glass of wine. Is there anything cozier?

Well, without further adieu here are 5 creative, delicious and practical dishes that will wow your guests this holiday season.

Pear Prosciutto Goat Cheese Pizza with Honey Drizzle by Angela of The Spinach Tiger

Stuffed Pumpkin Pizza Roll using Acacia Honey with Summer Black Truffles by Joan of Fodalogue.

Honey-Sesame Scallops by Maureen of Maureen C. Berry

Galaktoboureko – Greek Custard Pie by Norma of Platanos, Mangoes and Me!

Blackberry & Honey Crostini with Blue Cheese by Tammy of Living the Gourmet

The Creative Cooking Crew will be back next month and we’ll be bringing more deliciousness your way.

Toodles,
Tammy<3

Blackberry & Honey Crostini with Blue Cheese

0 · Dec 18, 2015 · 15 Comments

Toasted then spread with fresh blackberry preserve, these sweet and savory crostini are a bold fusion of flavors.

The Creative Cooking Crew is back for the holidays after a long, but needed break.

With our minds refreshed, our creativity renewed, and our mouths craving something new and delicious, we are sharing our best holiday dishes with honey as the star of the show!

You may recall a couple of months back when we reviewed Don Victor Honey. Ever since then, it has easily become my favorite honey to use because it has a richer depth of flavor and I believe that is due in part to it having the raw honey comb in the jar.

In fact, I used a bit of the honey comb in my blackberry preserve. It evenly countered that bitterness from the blackberries but rather than masking the tartness, the honey complimented it.

To top it off, I crumbled some blue cheese, an additional drizzling of honey, fresh basil and finely chopped nuts to accent the flavors.

What a delightful pairing. This is truly a perfect and best of all, easy appetizer for Christmas and New Years.

This week, I will be sharing the recipes from this month’s Creative Cooking Crew’s Honey Challenge.

I do hope you enjoy today’s recipe and give it a try.

Living the Gourmet

Yields 12

Blackberry & Honey Crostini with Blue Cheese

5 minPrep Time

15 minCook Time

20 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

1/2 Semolina or Baguette
Olive Oil, for brushing the sliced bread
1 cup blackberries
1/4 fresh honey comb, about 1 tablespoon worth
3 tablespoons honey, plus more for drizzling
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 sprig fresh basil, finely chopped
1/4 cup walnuts, finely chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Slice your bread and place on baking sheet. You should have about 12 slices. Brush each slice with olive oil and bake for about 6-8 minutes.
In a small saucepan, cook down blackberries, cornstarch, honey comb and 3 tablespoons of honey. Let simmer until the mixture has thickened and the berries are completely cooked down. Let cool.
Spoon about 2 teaspoons of the blackberry preserve over the sliced crostini. Add a sprinkle of blue cheese, basil and the walnuts. Drizzle with honey and return to the oven for 5 minutes.
Serve & enjoy!

https://livingthegourmet.com/2015/12/blackberry-honey-crostini-with-blue-cheese.html

Living the Gourmet: Blackberry & Honey Crostini with Blue Cheese | Creative Cooking Crew

Toodles,
Tammy<3

Blistered Tomato Crostini & Holiday Antipasto

0 · Dec 11, 2015 · 10 Comments

This holiday season #BeGlorious and serve your guests a variety of Gloria Ferrer Wines paired elegantly with a tray of Blistered Tomato Crostini & an exquisite Holiday Antipasto platter.

When I first started reviewing wine on Living the Gourmet, I ran across a pair of quotes that I can honestly say I didn’t quite appreciate until just recently. The first, from Plautus, ran “Let us celebrate the occasion with wine and sweet words,” pointing out the obvious connection between wine, good company, and relaxed socialization.

Benjamin Franklin echoed the sentiment roughly two millennia later when he observed that “Wine is proof that god loves us, and loves to see us happy.”

I wrote recently about a pre-Christmas dinner party I put together for a couple of old friends, and how I paired it excellently with a prosecco and a red wine, and how both made the evening not merely complete, but accentuated all of its finer points. I had the opportunity to do that again just last night, albeit it in a somewhat less formal but nonetheless equally enjoyable setting.

You see, with the holidays here we’ve had to produce a constant stream of new content, and we decided last night to treat ourselves, and to simply let go and relax, if for no other reason than to remind ourselves of our humanity. Envision a “Home Office Party.” We didn’t want to do anything complex or overwrought, we just wanted to unwind, and that’s how today’s antipasto spread came into being.

Now, I wrote recently about my heresy of starting off my last dinner party with a hearty red wine rather than a sparkling white, and I’m afraid I did that again for this “Home Office Party” of ours. Let me explain. Outside of France, Spain, and Italy, sparkling wine is almost exclusively regarded as an aperitif, and here in New York that is essentially a cemented custom – even amongst us displaced Italians. So, of course, you can imagine my hesitance when I forsook my local custom for the second night in a row, and rather than beginning the night with ourGloria Ferrer Blanc De Noire Methode Champenoise sparkling wine, we instead began the evening with our Gloria Ferrer Pinot Noir.

Living the Gourmet

Blistered Tomato Crostini Holiday Antipasto

10 minPrep Time

15 minCook Time

10 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

1 loaf of French or Italian bread – sliced thin
Grated Parmesan cheese
Olive oil

Topping:

1/2 lb. of fresh mozzarella – shredded or sliced thin
2 inch piece of pepperoni - chopped
2 cloves of garlic – chopped
6 – 8 fresh basil leaves – chopped
4 – 5 vine-ripe tomatoes – diced
1/2 small red onion – sliced thin
3 tsp. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tbs. olive oil
Hard salami – sliced thin
1/2 cup of olives – drizzled with olive oil, ground oregano and red pepper flakes
Asiago cheese – sliced
Marinated artichoke hearts
Blue cheese – sliced
Deli sliced marinated peppers
Your choice of bread or crackers

Instructions

Preheat Oven 350 degrees F.
Place the sliced bread on a baking sheet; brush with olive oil on both sides of the bread and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 10 – 12 minutes, turning over once half-way through the baking process.

Topping:

Combine the tomatoes, pepperoni, garlic, onion, basil, Parmesan cheese, seasonings and olive oil in a bowl and toss.
Top each baked slice of bread with a spoonful of the tomato mixture; finish with the shredded mozzarella and a little more Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 5 – 6 minutes or until the mozzarella cheese melts.
Arrange the above on a platter and enjoy.

https://livingthegourmet.com/2015/12/blistered-tomato-crostini-holiday-wine.html

Obviously, it was a beautifully successful if informal evening for us at Living the Gourmet, and we wholeheartedly concur with the winemakers of Gloria Ferrer who regard their wines as bottled expressions of the vines, sky, and hillsides of Sonoma County.

Enjoy with Love,
Catherine
xo

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Smokey Almond Crusted Blue Cheese Meatballs

0 · Nov 21, 2015 · 11 Comments

This post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almonds. Ditch the chips and grab some Game Changing Flavors this football season! Enter for a chance to win the Ultimate Football Party Prize Pack, get great savings and ideas for delicious snack hacks at GameChangingFlavors.com.

One of our running themes on our site lately has been that “Simplicity is it’s own virtue,” and as a result I’ve been writing a lot about easing prep time, along with tips and tricks for the perfect holiday celebration without breaking one’s schedule. However, with football season here, both the devil and the fun is in the details, from debating the finer points of the game, to memorizing long lists of statistics and analysis, to the trays of game food whose only purpose is to accentuate the enjoyment of the game.

Yes, football season has always been a big deal in my house, and as the food blogger in the family the merry task of preparing the menu for our game parties, naturally, falls to me. For such events, the order of the day is simple, hearty and fun. “Eat drink and be merry,” as the proverb goes, “For tonight…our team takes to the field!” Well, not quite like that, but you get the drift.

When the big games roll in, or one of the family’s favorite teams is playing a particularly important round, and family and friends have gathered round the television, I like to use the occasion to test out slants on crowd favorites. After all, keeping things fresh is key to keeping the parties going.

Today for example, I decided rather merely serving Smoked Blue Diamond Almonds as a side to a larger spread of ‘finger food,’ I would instead use them in a recipe for an appetizer – Crusted Chicken and Blue Cheese Meatballs. This is a recipe I particularly love for game days, since its combination of crunch underscored by that quintessential smokey flavor that positively oozes winter and football makes these meatballs perfect game day food.

To start things off, chop up a 6oz can of Smoked Blue Diamond Almonds in the food processor, and set them aside. Then process about three cups of fresh baby spinach and combine it with the blue cheese, eggs, breadcrumbs, and ground chicken, and mix it well. Then, once you have prepared the egg wash as shown below, it’s time for the ‘fun’ part – rolling the meatballs. Since this is more of an appetizer or side dish recipe, I prefer smaller meatballs.

Now, once you’ve rolled your meatballs, coat them in the egg wash and then roll them in the chopped nuts as shown below, and then bake them for about a half hour, and you’re done.

Living the Gourmet

Yields 10

Smokey Almond Crusted Blue Cheese Meatballs

10 minPrep Time

25 minCook Time

35 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

2 lbs. ground chicken
6 oz. Smoked Blue Diamonds Almonds – crushed
1 cup Italian style bread crumbs
3 cups fresh baby spinach
1/4 lb. blue cheese - crumbled
1 egg plus splash of water for egg wash
Honey for dipping
Garnish for plate – whole almonds and blue cheese pieces

Instructions

Preheat Oven 350 degrees F.
Place the almonds in a food processor chop and set aside.
Place baby spinach in a food processor and chop.
Combine blue cheese, ground chicken, chopped spinach, eggs and breadcrumbs in a large bowl and mix together well.
Prepare the egg wash.
Roll the mixture into preferred sized meatballs dip in the egg wash and then roll in the chopped almonds.
Place the meatballs on a baking dish and bake for 25 – 30 minutes depending on the size of the meatballs you make.
Serve with honey for dipping.

https://livingthegourmet.com/2015/11/smokey-almond-crusted-blue-cheese-meatballs.html

Living the Gourmet: Smokey Almond Crusted Blue Cheese Meatballs | #MezzettaMemories #ad

What are some of your favorite game day recipes? We would absolutely love to hear from you.

Enjoy with Love,
Catherine
xo

Mozzarella & Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

0 · Aug 25, 2015 · 16 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BackYourSnack #CollectiveBias

We are partnering up with Farm Rich Snacks to bring you a deliciously simple recipe and share with you the exciting details about the Back Your Snack contest where you can vote in-store and be eligible to win one of many Game Time prize packages!
*See bottom of post for details*

Here at Living the Gourmet, we are on a mission to bring healthy back into snacking.

There is common misperception that snacking includes only finger food, most times uncooked. Well, push aside the chips, unhealthy dips, and crackers. Today, I am reintroducing snack food.

To me a snack is something that is light and simple but also delicious and fresh. For my family, I have always made my own snacks, making sure I know every ingredient that goes into every dish I serve. Like most, occasionally we will cheat, but on the whole, healthy snacking is something I don’t play around with.

So, while shopping for some wholesome foods the entire family can enjoy and feel good about, I came across some of my favorite Farm Rich Snacks during a recent trip to Walmart. Immediately, I was inspired to reconstitute Mozzarella Sticks and transform them into a dish that was suitable for any occasion, yet easy enough for anyone to make.

With only 6 ingredients, these stuffed mushrooms are a perfect way to get your family and friends snacking healthier with fresh produce and wholesome ingredients. Farm Rich Mozzarella Sticks are made with 100% real cheese, contain 0g trans fat per serving and are a good source of calcium and protein.

Each mushroom is packed with a creamy spinach filling that is blended with the mozzarella sticks for a helping of cheesy goodness. I finished them off with a sprinkle of breadcrumbs and a drizzle of olive oil before baking them just until the tops were golden and the mozzarella melted through.

These stuffed mushrooms are perfect for a light lunch, snack, or side dish. The possibilities are endless, and we encourage you to get your snack on and show us how you would use Farm Rich for a simple, delicious snack!

Living the Gourmet

Mozzarella & Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

10 minPrep Time

10 minCook Time

20 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

8 Portobello Mushrooms – stems removed
10 Farm Rich Mozzarella sticks
1 lb. of fresh baby spinach
3 cloves of garlic
Italian style bread crumbs – for topping
Olive oil for drizzling

Instructions

Preheat Oven 450 degrees F.
In a food processor combine the bread sticks, spinach, garlic and 3 tablespoons olive oil. Process until a crumb-like mixture is formed.
Fill each mushroom with this mixture and place on a baking sheet.
Sprinkle each mushroom with breadcrumbs and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.
Serving suggestion - serve with a squeeze of fresh lemon.
Bake 10 – 12 minutes.

https://livingthegourmet.com/2015/08/mozzarella-spinach-stuffed-mushrooms.html

Living the Gourmet: Mozzarella & Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms | #BackYourSnack #ad

As mentioned earlier, Farm Rich is hosting an exciting contest. Well now comes time to vote! When you stop by these select participating stores (vote on the semi- finalists on 9/19 and 9/20, and the finalists on 10/9 and 10/11), you will entered to win several prizes including a tote bag, kitchen essentials, $50 worth of Farm Rich product coupons and a $50 Walmart Gift Card!

For all of the details, check out the rule book, and when voting in-store, you can opt in to a drawing for one of the Sweepstakes Prizes as well!

Enjoy with Love,
Catherine
xo

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Blackberry & Honey Crostini with Blue Cheese

Blistered Tomato Crostini & Holiday Antipasto

Smokey Almond Crusted Blue Cheese Meatballs

Mozzarella & Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

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