Tag Archives: entertaining

Feb17

Roasted red pepper dip

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I bought a bunch of red bell peppers on a whim because they were three for a dollar at Sprouts. I roasted all of them, then use some to make a simple dip.

Roasting peppers is easy. Just place the whole peppers on a baking sheet and roast at 400 degrees F for an hour, turning every 15 minutes.

Once they are charred on all sides, put them in a glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap. The steam will help you to remove the skins from the peppers. After the peppers have cooled down, remove the plastic wrap, then remove the skin and seeds from the peppers. Slice to the desired size, and add olive oil, salt, and pepper.

To make the dip, I googled a few recipes and decided on Ellie Krieger’s recipe.  It surpassed my expectations in terms of deliciousness!

Roasted Red Pepper Dip
Adapted from Ellie Krieger

3 roasted red bell peppers
1/3 c toasted almonds
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T red onion, chopped
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 T olive oil
kosher salt
black pepper

Grind the almonds in a food processor. Add the bell peppers, vinegar, garlic, onion, and red pepper flakes and process until smooth. Drizzle the olive oil into the processor while it’s running, then season with salt and pepper.

Serve with pita chips (I used garlic and parmesan kind).

Feb6

Cooking over the weekend

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Happy Monday! Last week kind of dragged for me, so I’m glad to be starting fresh this week.

We had a pretty busy weekend, but I wanted to share a few delicious recipes that I tried out.

This Blue Cheese and Bacon Dip from Baked Bree is pretty addictive. Perfect for the Superbowl.

Emeril’s veal paremesan was delicious.  My only complaint is that it takes a lot longer than the indicated 50 minutes to prepare.  Unless you have an enormous skillet, just breading and frying 8 veal cutlets takes about 45 minutes.  It’s worth it, though, so plan ahead!  I kept the cutlets warm in the oven at 200 degrees F while making the sauce and hanging out with our guests.

These potato chip cookies from Smitten Kitchen (another Emeril recipe) were a hit. They are salty, crisp, and sweet.

Jan20

Emmentaler stuffed mushrooms

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Stuffed mushrooms are really easy to make, and you can stuff them with almost anything you have on hand. They are definitely one of my go-to hors d’oeuvres. This version is vegetarian, but I often incorporate sausage or bacon.

Emmentaler Stuffed Mushrooms

15 large button or crimini mushrooms
1 T butter
1 T olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried thyme
kosher salt
black pepper
1 egg
1/3 c bread crumbs
1/4 c parsley, finely chopped
1/2 c grated emmentaler
1/4 c red wine (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and chop the stems pretty finely.
3. Heat a small skillet over medium heat with the butter and olive oil. Add the garlic and mushrooms, and saute until the mushrooms are soft. Season with thyme, salt, and pepper, then pour the red wine in and allow it to reduce.
4. While the mushroom stems are cooking, add the egg, bread crumbs, parsley, and emmentaler to a small mixing bowl.
5. Allow the mushroom stems to cool. Once they are room temperature, add them to the bowl with the bread crumbs and egg. Stir everything to combine.

6. Put a spoon of filling into each mushroom cap. Rest them face up on a baking sheet, and bake for 25 minutes or until the mushrooms have released a little bit of liquid and the filling is golden brown.

If you are going to take these somewhere, they are good room temperature as well.

Jan7

Carne asada tacos

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Our friends came over to watch the Lakers vs. Warriors game, so we thought it would be fun and easy to barbeque and make a taco bar.

I love pretty much all tacos.  I live in Los Angeles now, but I grew up in New Jersey and Arizona, so I have very fond memories of the admittedly unauthentic taco bar at Sizzler (“hard” corn shells, ground beef, iceberg lettuce, diced tomatoes, and orange cheddar) and of the Yaki tacos at The Islands (chicken teryaki, letuce, pineapple).

However, in L.A. there’s really no excuse for not making a decent Mexican taco (unless that’s what you’re into, of course), so we hustled on over to the Camaguey Meat Market on Venice to pick up supplies.  It’s technically more Cuban/Dominican than Mexican, but I have wanted to visit since I read about it in the L.A. Times. (Sadly, they were not selling prepared food when we went, sob I’m not sure if they still do.)

On the menu:
* Carne asada, marinated by the market
* Pico de gallo
* Pickled carrots/jalapenos
* Black beans
* Queso fresco from the Mexican market

For pico de gallo, I just dice tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, and a jalapeno, and toss together with salt, pepper, and lime.  Paco made this one, though!

We usually make guacamole as well, but there weren’t any ripe avocados available.  Next time we’ll think ahead!

 

Dec19

Holiday party was a success!

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We had a Christmas party at our apartment on Saturday, and we had so much fun. For once, I didn’t have to cook or prepare anything while guests were here, so it was a lot more relaxing for me. What we served (for I about 19 people):

It was wonderful to see old friends and make some new ones!  Here’s to an exciting 2012!