appetizers & small bites

Roasted Asparagus with Browned Butter and Almonds

Roasted asparagus gets a leg up on the basic side dish with a drizzle of nutty browned butter and the crunch of buttery marcona almonds.

There’s nothing better in cooking than to take an easy, basic recipe and give it just a little twist to move it up a notch.

Basic oven-roasted asparagus is one of my meal-making staples. It’s fast. It’s easy. It’s delicious.

But sometimes I’m craving just a bit more flavor. So when I’m feeling flush and lush, browned butter made even more nutty is my asparagus drizzle got-to.

continue to the recipe… about Roasted Asparagus with Browned Butter and Almonds

Thai Chicken Larb Lettuce Wraps

With the release of her latest cookbook, Steamy Kitchen’s Healthy Asian Favorites, Jaden Hair once again shows us why she’s one of the top dogs in the world of food blogging with her recipe for Thai Lettuce Wraps.

Food blog author Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen is like Wonder Woman. She’s a food columnist, television chef (ABC’s Recipe Rehab, Daytime Show), cookbook author (The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook, Steamy Kitchen’s Healthy Asian Favorites), and a wife and mom to two little boys, Andrew and Nathan.

If all that weren’t enough, she helps run “the homestead,”—a five-acre plot she and her family occupy. It’s fully equipped with a small fruit orchard, a pond with tilapia and blue gill, and a chicken coop with ten plucky residents. Their latest endeavor? A homemade aquaponic herb and vegetable garden (growing vegetables and plants over water).

It’s a juggling act but one that Hair seems to have managed with ease. She’s driven, but her priority is her family and she puts their health and happiness at the forefront.

I first discovered Jaden thanks to my husband. While trolloping among the www for Asian inspired recipes, he discovered Steamy Kitchen. In fact, he was a follower of her blog well before I even had a nugget of a thought of creating a food blog myself. Or a magazine that features food bloggers. You could say his discovery pretty much set us on this tract of foodie crushes.

In fact, my very first recipe on the blog? One of Jaden’s.

You could say I have a soft spot for this oh so very talented lady.continue to the recipe… about Thai Chicken Larb Lettuce Wraps

Nectarine and Wisconsin Burrata Bite Crostini

This past weekend I allllmoooost could have posed as a hipster. If I was 15 years younger and dressed a whole lot cooler. I mean hipper. I mean I don’t know what is better, cooler or hipper to say these days. And if I had a full blown beard—thank God it hasn’t come to that, YET. And liked to listened to those bands that like to harmonize as if they’re stuck in a time warp and have just emerged from 1976 retromania ala Crosby Stills and Nash.

No, I wasn’t in Brooklyn or Venice, CA. That is soooo two weekends ago.

This past weekend I was in yet another favorite haunt of all things hip yet no need to be humble, the great city of Austin, Texas for the Blogher Food blogging conference. Not that EVERYONE in Austin is a glorified hipster, but it certainly has its fair share mixed in thanks to the outrageously delicious food trucks, crazy good music scene and a few traditional cowboys along the way.

Food bloggers vs. hipsters vs. cowboys. Not sure who won the sterotype title for the weekend but it sure was fun eating and greeting my way through it.

I’ll have a more visual recap of the conference on my Friday Faves post this week, but I wanted to get this recipe out because a lot of people have been asking about it. It is that good.continue to the recipe… about Nectarine and Wisconsin Burrata Bite Crostini

Grilled Artichokes with Garlic Butter and Friday Faves

This weekend is a biggie for one 8-year-old about to be 9-year-old in our house. Birthday time!

If you’ve followed be for very long, you know my daughter Smudge prefers pie over cake any day, which means I’ll be making and adorning her favorite Yellow Cake Pie with candles for the third year in a row. This year I’m going to pardon the mousse pudding mix in favor of the homemade pudding I made in Lauren’s Chocolate Cream Pie recipe mixed with some whip cream for loft.

I’m pretty sure it’s going to be a hit once again for the twelve 9-year-olds who are sleeping over. All those girls in one house, high on sugar and water slides and karaoke? Why oh why do I do this to me and my husband? Oh, that’s right. Because I’m a mom to a rock-star-lover-girl! I’d do anything for her, especially on her birthday.

Once we’ve sent the gaggle of girls home with their own parentals, it’ll be time to get the family birthday BBQ into high-speed prep. While we have a few menu ideas on the short list, we haven’t quite made up our minds as to which direction we’re going. Traditional cookout, Mediterranean or something Asian inspired? Any input here readers?

If we go for the traditional grilling route, this Grilled Artichokes with Garlic Butter recipe I created for Go Bold With Butter would be tops on the list. I made them for dinner just two nights ago since my favorite artichoke producer finally showed up in Costco.

I don’t know if I’ll ever eat a choke with plain butter and mayo again thanks to the caramelized garlicky chunks I now scoop up with each leaf. More napkins please.

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Grilled Artichokes with Garlic Butter

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

For the Artichokes
2 large artichokes
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
4 cloves garlic
1 lemon halved
Olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Lemon Garlic Butter
1/2 cup 1 stick butter
2 lemons zested and juiced
2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Leaves from 6-8 sprigs of fresh thyme

Instructions

For the Artichokes
With a serrated knife, cut artichokes into quarters and cut sharp tips of leaves off. Scoop out the prickly center part of the artichoke, and discard. Immediately rub the cut side of the artichoke with a lemon half to help avoid yellowing. Place artichokes in a large stockpot filled with cold water.
Add peppercorns and garlic cloves. Squeeze the juice of the lemon into the water and add the leftover lemon skin/peel to the water. Bring artichokes to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes or until artichoke leaves easily pull from the head and the bottoms of the artichokes are tender.
Remove from the stock pot and drain.
Prepare a grill with hot coals or a gas grill over high heat. Drizzle artichokes with olive oil and kosher salt and pepper.
When grill is hot, place artichokes on grill and cook for 3 minutes each side or until nice grill marks appear. Remove and serve immediately or at room temperature with garlic lemon butter (recipe follows).
For the Lemon Garlic Butter
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat and allow the solids to cool slightly, then skim the fat solids from the clear butter below and discard the solids. Add lemon zest, garlic cloves, kosher salt and fresh thyme and cook on medium until garlic browns slightly and becomes aromatic, about 5 minutes.
Add lemon juice to butter mixture and mix well.
Drizzle over artichokes or on the side as a dipping sauce.

continue to the recipe… about Grilled Artichokes with Garlic Butter and Friday Faves

Spinach and Feta Hand Pies Plus Friday Faves

This Sunday marks the end of winter. Well, not officially by way of the calendar and moon, but our governing officials have deemed it the end of winter whites with the setting forward of clocks across the land thanks to Daylight Savings Time. In every state except Arizona, that is. What’s up with Arizona’s special treatment anyway?

Springing forward means much to many: spring bulbs bursting from crusty patches of dirt as kids bound about searching for Easter eggs; a sense of anxiety knowing that swimsuit wearing is just around the corner; and afternoons of lazily cat napping in a lounge chair as the sun warms your 4-months-previously-frozen-apendages.

However, Daylight Savings means something entirely different if you’re a food blogger. It means there will be light. Light! LIGHT I TELL YOU! Light to photograph dishes a bit later than normal, to make our days that much more productive. Or at least to compensate for the procrastination that nap in the lounge chair took out of the schedule. Eeeh. Who cares about schedules when you have spring fever? continue to the recipe… about Spinach and Feta Hand Pies Plus Friday Faves

Chicken Tzatziki Pizza

I’m always keeping an eye out for a nugget of inspiration to create a new recipe, whether it’s from a local restaurant, a TV show, old family favorites or from definitely from friends.

So when my intern and I were working last week, talking shop about design, food and our never ending to-do list, we realized it was time for lunch. Over lunch is when she shared an idea for a recipe that her friend had mentioned to her, and she was having some major cravings.

Chicken Tzatziki Pizza.continue to the recipe… about Chicken Tzatziki Pizza

Truffle Bacon Popcorn Plus 6 Savory Popcorn Recipes

There are three just-cooked scents that will put anyone’s flavor anttanae on high alert: Popcorn, bacon and chocolate chip cookies. You can smell ’em as soon as your foot hits the threshold and like a treat-obsessed dog of any size you go straight for the goods to sample a bite.

So what would it taste like to have all three of these in one taste treat delight? Sorry, but you won’t find out in this post.

What I will be sharing with you is the savory side of popcorn, the sultry side, the 50 Shades of Grey side of popcorn. Or is 50 Shades of Grey already a “so 2012” reference that I’ve shown my true behind-the-times colors?

Now, I’m assuming you’ve munched on popcorn: Caramel corn, movie-like-butter-flavor and maybe even chocolate. And you’ve savored bacon. Unless you’re vegan/vegetarian. And who doesn’t love the stinky cheese popcorn that’s delivered by corporate salesmen at the holidays to keep the entire staff satiated and happy? The kind that stains your popcorn-dipping fingers orange but you just can’t seem to say, “No thanks,” to.

But have you ever had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of truffle salt?

continue to the recipe… about Truffle Bacon Popcorn Plus 6 Savory Popcorn Recipes

Easy Entertaining with Harry & David

The wrapping paper and ribbons have made their way back into the holiday storage bins, the purple and gold polka dotted neck tie found its way back to the department store. While Christmas is geared toward filling the stockings with care and the joy of giving to others, adults are eagerly looking ahead to celebrating the night that puts the focus on renewal and the promises of a New Year.

New Years Day is when I do my official ring-a-ding-ling-ing of the New Year. In my opinion there’s really no reason for the party to end. But after celebrating the night away the eve before, having the party goods delivered to my door is what New Years day really calls for.continue to the recipe… about Easy Entertaining with Harry & David

Shrimp and Scallop Ceviche Stuffed Avocados

The most tasteful things in life are usually the simplest. And this dish is a shining example.

After weeks of nipping at our ankles like border collies herding sheep, Christmas Eve is here and New Years Eve will be scurrying right up behind it. I for one am ready to welcome in a new year of hope and gratitude with clinks of champagne and air kisses galore.

These occasions scream for something decadent, but with the flurry of social activities, travel time and overall high expectations, why don’t we all decide to keep it simple, shall we? Simply decadent.

This year I’ll be celebrating New Years on a beach in Mexico. No, not just in my mind as I settle into below freezing temperatures as my husband suggests I warm up that snow shovel. No, this is all real life baby. Sand, surf and shrimp will be tops on my itinerary, and not necessarily in that order.continue to the recipe… about Shrimp and Scallop Ceviche Stuffed Avocados

Fig Spread and Cheese Crostini Appetizer + Korin Giveaway

Are you tired of me saying it yet? Talking about how much I adore salty paired with sweet? I hope not, because you’re in for a big dose of it today.

This past weekend we made our way to our friend’s annual holiday company Christmas party. No, I’m not moonlighting on the side for their business—Lord knows I’ve tried—but we’ve been really good friends for a few years and somehow we’ve weaseled our way into getting an invite each year.

Maybe it’s because we’re helpers in the kitchen—during that last minute flurry of panic before the guests start rolling in, lending a helping hand. But since they always have it so well put together, I think its just because we are so much dang FUN! And these guys, well they go all out so it definitely isn’t a chore to whoop it up and have a good time.

This year I was asked to give my opinion on the menu. Now, Sherrie is an amazing cook and party giver, so she really doesn’t need any help from me. But since I’m a bone fide food blogger (ahem, cue smoke and mirrors) people seem to think I know what works when it comes to food.continue to the recipe… about Fig Spread and Cheese Crostini Appetizer + Korin Giveaway

Friday Faves and a Harry & David Gift Basket Giveaway

I can’t start this post without first squeeling a gigantic, “THANK YOOOOOOUU!” to everyone who has taken time out of their busy holiday-preparing-lives, opened a new browser window and read about the amazing food bloggers and contributors featured in the Holiday Issue of FoodieCrush mag.

Sharing these food bloggers stories, recipes and photography is such a reward, one that I hope shows through in the flippable, online pages I hope you’re inspired to cook from. I also encourage you to visit their blogs where there is so much more to discover.

Last week I featured a few food bloggers in my Holiday Gift Guide, all of whom generously donated items for a giveaway for FoodieCrush readers. Please be sure to enter the giveaway before Monday at 11:59 p.m. MST to be entered to take home some foodie blogger swag.

In addition to getting the mag uploaded, I’ve been doing a bit of traveling of late—some for the mag and some for me and my man to do some celebrating of a big number anniversary. Let’s just pretend I got married at 14 so it doesn’t hurt so much to think of the fact that much time has passed us by so quickly.

The travel combined with the holiday eats within the pages of FC magazine and barking dogs welcoming packages delivered to our door…well, it’s starting to feel like the hubbub and crazy energy of Christmas is in full swing at casa del Larsen.

continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves and a Harry & David Gift Basket Giveaway

Friday Faves and Pumpkin Gruyere Gougeres

The time is drawing near as we will soon be gazing upon the backside of the great pumpkin Charlie Brown. Does that mean the plethora of pumpkin recipes will be waning as well? Maybe. Maybe not.

According to one of my favoritely designed magazine (yes, I make up words to possibly be even more descriptive), the number of pumpkin dishes in chain restaurants are at an all time high and pumpkin drinks have increased by 400 percent. Does this mean we will soon be enjoying a deep-fried Blooming Pumpkin or maybe a pumpkin McRib latte?

It very well could all be on the horizon.continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves and Pumpkin Gruyere Gougeres

Crab Salad Sweet Potato Chip Bites and a Virtual Baby Shower

There’s nothing in the world that can bring a smile to one’s face like seeing a new mama gaze wonderously at her newborn baby. The cliché is true, each and every one of those nuggets of time are mini miracles.

And today we have a little celebrating to do: TA-DA! We’re welcoming a new baby that one of our favorite bloggers will soon be smiling sweetly upon. Thanks to Maria, Marla, Gaby and Brian for hosting a virtual baby shower for Lisa of the popular food blog With Style and Grace.continue to the recipe… about Crab Salad Sweet Potato Chip Bites and a Virtual Baby Shower

Spooky Fried Mozzarella Eyeballs Plus 5 Scary Recipes

Last Halloween I was beyond impressed with the number of creative and scary recipes I saw bounding about the blogosphere. How do people come up with this stuff?

I don’t remember this sort of thing happening when I was a kid. Or is it just because back then all that mattered to me was where Malibu Barbie, Francie, PJ and Skipper were going to head off to in the camper trailer and would they ever find Ken? Poor PJ, she never quite made the cut and always had to sit in the back.

This year I was inspired to throw my hat into the Halloween themed ring of fire and so I did what I always do when I need a creative consultation: I went to my partner in crime, G-Dawg—aka my husband who I think puts MacGyver to shame—and set him to task in scheming how we were going to create eyeballs out of cheeseballs.

After watching an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives a while back where I learned the secret to the perfect deep fried anything and everything I knew I wanted to create a recipe for deep fried mozzarella eyeballs. The secret dredge worked perfectly to form golden orbs of melty, bloodshot eyeballs.continue to the recipe… about Spooky Fried Mozzarella Eyeballs Plus 5 Scary Recipes

Pumpkin and Fried Sage Flatbread plus 5 Savory Pumpkin Recipes

Sometimes you just don’t have time to create a complicated meal. And sometimes you have the time and just don’t want to.

Today was one of those days.

Last week Smudge and I picked up a few sugar pumpkins at the farmer’s market, both for decoration and to cook with. She isn’t so sure she’s ready to relinquish her babies—Bob, Harry and Babycakes—to me and my menu making plans just. quite. yet.

So I had to be stealthy and cagey to sacrifice the pumpkins to the oven gods to create a roasted, creamy, orange base for the simplest pizza I’ve ever made.continue to the recipe… about Pumpkin and Fried Sage Flatbread plus 5 Savory Pumpkin Recipes

Cheesy Chorizo Caramelized Onion Dip Recipe

Boys will be boys. And boys like football. And cheese. And sausage.

My husband, like so many guys out there and quite a few ladies with a penchant for competition, is a big football fan.

He isn’t as nutty as some dudes out there who are obsessed with their Fantasy Football leagues or who lay down hard-earned cash on the spreads in Vegas. And you won’t find him sporting his favorite team’s football jersey other than on the occasional game day. But you will hear him yelling very naughty, naughty words at the T.V. when a bonehead referee makes a bad call—or at least a call against his team.

Yes my husband is a fan. But my dad…oh my dad. HE is THE fan. Over the years he’s been known to be somewhat obsessive with his viewing pleasures. continue to the recipe… about Cheesy Chorizo Caramelized Onion Dip Recipe

Zesty Bread and Butter Pickles Plus a Homemade Pickle Recipe Round-Up

Growing up, we were a house of dill.

Everything I ate had to have a dill pickle on it. My lunchtime tuna sandwich wasn’t complete without long slices of kosher dills (plus one or two on the side.) My after school snack of Triscuits, liverwurst, mustard and dill hamburger chips was my favorite treat as I watched Gilligan mess up the rescue attempts of Ginger and MaryAnn every. single. episode. And I will never, ever be able to eat a cheeseburger without some sort of cucumber stick topping (can I get extra pickles please?) thanks to the memories of stacking my mom’s homemade dills high on just-off-the-grill summer cheeseburgers.

I haven’t changed much. You’ve heard of Wisconsin Cheeseheads? I know you’ve heard of Deadheads. Well call me a Picklehead, perhaps in need of a hat or maybe some pickle earrings…

continue to the recipe… about Zesty Bread and Butter Pickles Plus a Homemade Pickle Recipe Round-Up

Friday Faves plus Grilled and Stuffed Tomatoes Recipe

Oh man, it’s happening.

In just the past two days we’ve turned off the swamp cooler at night, I’ve noticed the change of the angle of the sun, and Monday is D-day: the first day of school.

Although all of this signals the end of summer and our time of being foot-loose and flip-flop free, the harvest season reminds me that it’s time to take care of myself, to ignore the deadlines, the commitments and the easy way out.

Fall reminds me to take advantage of the harvest and eat fresh foods—either from the garden or locally grown.

It reminds me to take advantage of the cooler temps and work out my crampy hips—thanks to long hours in my computer chair —with evening or early morning walks—and hopefully soon, 5K runs.?,!??/!!*continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves plus Grilled and Stuffed Tomatoes Recipe

Friday Faves and Grilled Peaches with Mascarpone Cheese

Soon I’ll be heading north. Not for the great white chill of Alaska, but to Northern Utah for Peach Days.

Peach season is right around the corner, and I can’t wait to hand-pick some big old juicers from the roadside fruit stand to take home and throw on the grill for my easy Grilled Peaches with Mascarpone. Dessert on the grill, can’t get easier than that.

Caramelized goodness with a touch of honey and rosemary. Mmmm hmm.

But until I load the car, gas it up and make the jaunt, I’ll share a few Friday Faves with ya’ll.

1. There were a few tips I learned of at the Evo Conference that didn’t make my recap post. One is this great app called CardMunch. Take a pic of a business card and all of the info is directly imported into your contacts or LinkedIn account.

The other is an iPhone photo editing app. Yes, yet another one to add to the arsenal. Snapseed is from one of my favorite image editing companies, Nik Software and got a lot of tongues wagging at Evo with all of us iPhone picture taking hounds comparing whose editing with what. It’s also available on the iPad.

2. I’m going to be flying my red, white and blue colors high at the Olympic Opening ceremony. I don’t know how they could top the Beijing opener, but I’m hoping London will pull out all their star power and wow the world. I’m looking at you Posh! I think this sweet USA red, white and blue treat is perfectly in order to enjoy as I sit on the couch and watch the athletes sweat it. Get the complete 2012 Summer Olympic schedule here.

3. Check out this Pinterest board featuring food bloggers tomato recipes in support of the movement to purchase for slave free tomatoes.

4. In an effort to keep up with my myriad of RSS feeds, I’m checking out Evernote Clearly to use with my favorite browser, Chrome, that promises to make blog posts and webpages easy to read with customized font selection and themes. Check it out and let me know what you think.

5. And finally, I’m thinking about making this for a blogger potluck, to quench the thirst of those talkie, eating food lovers.

Thanks for reading and please keep in touch. Subscribe to Foodie Crush and follow me onTwitter, Facebook and Pinterest and check out Foodie Crush magazine and Cookie Cravings cookbook.

Friday Faves and a Craving for Pickled Jalapeños

The jalapeños made me do it.

This past New Years Eve we were celebrating at my friend Mandy’s house, doing those things that people do on that auspicious night. Everyone brought a little something to nosh on and there was quite the spread to complement the flowing toasts and the Santa-inspired-karaoke caroling going on in the other room.

So we ate, we sang and then the secret weapon came out.

As the others were piling chicken wings and side salads to their plates, Mandy pulled me aside and with a devious grin and flashed the goods: her famous Pickled Jalapeños.

She was sharing her last bottle from her secret stash with me. We were like two 6 year olds hoarding our Halloween candy in the hall closet as we hid from any lurking siblings.

And then things took a nasty turn. continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves and a Craving for Pickled Jalapeños

10 Top Tomatillo Recipes and Roasted Tomatillo and Green Olive Salsa

I don’t know why but within one day I’ve become surrounded by the soon-to-be-wedded.

I spent part of last week watching a wedding photography seminar as I worked along on my computer. The week before I was at a wedding fashion shoot. And I’ve been working with my bridal editor at my day job on our upcoming editorial calendar. Did this cloak of weddingness suddenly spread to those around me?

I had to wonder because…

This past weekend we had a great friend from our old hood in Venice visiting us. And he brought his girlfriend. To pop the big question.

A semi-confirmed bachelor, our friend finally realized it was okay to let go of the trepidation of vacating his non-committed life. On Sunday, at 11,000 feet on a nearby mountain top he took to bended knee and proposed as I snapped away.

He’s finally getting married? How can this be? He’s spent his life looking out for number one, while always on the lookout for number two, three or four. None of whom could measure up to the perfect partner mystery ideal.

But he changed. Once he opened up enough to let her in she far exceeded his expectations.continue to the recipe… about 10 Top Tomatillo Recipes and Roasted Tomatillo and Green Olive Salsa

Mad for Dips and Creamy Clam Dip

When it comes to sporting events, we’re all about rallying the troops and gathering the pom poms, but really it’s an excuse for a foodie get together.

It doesn’t much matter the team, whether it revolves around engines, goggles or balls, it’s a simple reason to come together and become absorbed in the beauty of human determination and fortitude.

This weekend we’ll be choosing sides, donning our colors, and sitting back to immerse ourselves in March Madness. I’m partial to college basketball. My dad played college basketball, as did my grandfather, and yes, I play a mean game of H-O-R-S-E.

So as the remaining teams battle for the big win at the Final Four and the network entices the not-so-enthralled-fans with the musical medley of Jimmy Buffet, Blondie, KISS, Avett Brothers and the Black Keys—nothing like throwing a broad blanket on the entertainment picks to try and appease each and every demographic–we’ll be gorging on our go-to game time snack. Clam Dip.continue to the recipe… about Mad for Dips and Creamy Clam Dip

Baked Peppered Ricotta Crostini with Roasted Tomatoes

I’ve been feeling a bit DIY these days. And I blame it all on fall.

Homemade pizza dough, fresh baked bread from MY oven and even making tofu from scratch (a blog post is coming soon, I promise you won’t want to miss it!)

So after trolling through several recipes for homemade ricotta, I pulled up my bootstraps, dashed to the store for a new aka un-cracked candy thermometer and gave it a whirl.

May I just say, in my best Giada voice with a trill of the ‘R’, “REEE-COOOAAA-TA!” Seriously? Making ricotta is THIS EASY? And THIS QUICK? It takes me more time to put on my makeup in the morning. Why have I never tried becoming a cheesemaker before?

Next time I’ll experiment with the amount of time I let the cheese drain in the colander—similar to the tofu pressing process—and see what sort of variety I get in the cheese’s texture. Maybe a bit creamier, maybe a bit firmer. Either which way, I know I’m going to love it.

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.

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Baked Peppered Ricotta Crostini with Roasted Tomatoes

Fresh and easy appetizer for any occasion.

Ingredients

Fresh Ricotta Cheese

from Donna Hay magazine
makes 1 1/4 cups
6 cups 48 fl oz full cream milk
2 T white vinegar
1 tsp kosher salt
In a saucepan adjust a candy thermometer to side and cook milk over medium heat to 176 degrees F. Remove from heat, add vinegar and let sit for 5 minutes until curds form. Line a colander with cheesecloth and place over a bowl. Using a slotted spoon, Carefully transfer curds to the colander and allow to drain for 5 minutes. Spoon ricotta into a glass or ceramic dish, cover and store in refrigerator for up to one week.

Baked Peppered Ricotta Crostini with Roasted Tomatoes

inspired by Donna Hay magazine
serves 4-6 as an appetizer
for peppered ricotta crostini
1 1/4 cups fresh ricotta cheese
1/3 cup grated pecorino or parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic pressed
kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
8 slices french or sourdough baguette
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. In a bowl combine ricotta, parmesan, garlic, salt and pepper. Spoon ricotta into 2 large ramekins or other bake-to-serve vessel (6 oz) and bake for 30 minutes until bubbly and golden. While ricotta is baking, lightly oil baguette slices and toast. To plate, serve baguette slices topped with baked ricotta mixture, roasted tomatoes* and sprinking of fresh thyme leaves. Serve additional ricotta on the side for extra dipping opportunities.
*for roasted tomatoes
1 pint cherry tomatoes
olive oil
kosher salt
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. In a bowl toss tomatoes with a few drizzles of olive oil, just enough to coat. Cut tomatoes in half and place seed side up on a foil-covered cookie sheet, sprinkle with kosher salt and roast in oven for 2- 2/12 hours, depending on size of tomatoes. Remove when edges are crisped but tomatoes still have some plump. Store in olive oil for up to one week.

And now, for a little more cheesey appetizer goodness.

photo > Dishing Up Delights

With just a 5 ingredients, making sure they’re at optimal freshness is the secret to Dishing Up Delights’ come-together-in-five-minutes Figs with Fresh Ricotta and Pistachios appetizer. For a creamier cheese texture, next time give marscarpone a try.

photo > Bell’alimento

Bite size poppers from the homemade ricotta queen herself, Paula shares Bell’alimento’s Fried Olives Stuffed with Cheeses and Herbs of which she has annointed “the incredibly addictive app”. I’m puckering already.

photo > Five and Spice

When Amy described her Zucchini and Ricotta Fritters as “sizzling little guys practically grow legs as they come off the griddle and go leaping right into your mouth” it was a no-brainer that this recipe from Five and Spice was going to put my zucchini garden straight out of business.

This Wednesday will be our Family Food Flashback with a round-up of childhood faves. If you have a fave you’d like to submit to the Flashback, e-mail me by Tuesday, Oct.4 by 3 p.m. with a link to your post or link to your post on Twitter with the hashtag #familyfoodflash.

We’re ramping up for debut issue of FoodieCrush magazine. When will November 15 get here already? If you’re interested in advertising and partnership opportunities, contact me at heidi at foodiecrush dot com.

Thanks for reading. If you liked this post, please subscribe to foodiecrush and follow me on twitter, Facebook and Pinterest

Peach & Tomato Bruschetta Recipe

Baby toes, baby breath, baby kisses right in the crook of their fat, little, creased neck. The things I crave when I hear a friend is going to have a baby.

So when a bunch of Utah food bloggers got together to celebrate the beautiful-babe-to-soon-be of our friends Maria and Josh of Two Peas and Their Pod, it was the perfect excuse to get together and talk about two of our favorite things. Babies and food. Big surprise there, right?

But thanks to a long day at work and juggling after school pick-ups, I had zero time to bake or track down the perfect recipe for my contribution to the pot luck eat-ivities. I had to come up with something fast.

So with a freshly delivered sack of Brigham City peaches delivered to my house the day before–by our friend Paul, who could be dropping off anything from a convenience store freezer to a sack full of sprinkler heads—I knew peaches would be in the mix.

Next, I hit the garden, harvested some basil, pulled a few ripe Early Girl tomatoes—that Paul planted as a surprise one weekend while I was away, so HE’D have fresh tomatoes this summer—and a few yellow, zebra and orange cherry tomatoes, I grabbed some garlic and then the olive oil and I was on my way.

So how did the bruschetta turn out? Let’s just say Maria went back for thirds. And then took the rest home to Josh. HOME RUN!

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.

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Peach and Tomato Bruschetta

A simple summer bruschetta recipe with fresh peaches and tomatoes everyone loves.

Ingredients

2-3 to matoes seeded and chopped
2 peaches chopped
2 large cloves garlic one smashed and left whole, the other chopped finely
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves slivered
1/4 cup plus 1/8 cup fruity olive oil divided
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
sourdough baguette

Instructions

In a saucepan, sauté 1/4 cup olive oil with smashed clove of garlic over medium heat for 3-5 minutes or until fragrant, being careful not to let garlic burn. Remove from heat. Slice the baguette in 1/4 inch slices and brush with olive oil mixture. Place rounds in toaster oven and toast in batches until lightly browned. Let cool. Combine all other ingredients and mix gently.
Top baguette rounds with fruit mixture and serve immediately.

TIP: I served the bruschetta in a bowl with toasted sourdough crostinis on the side so the little buggers wouldn’t sog up and be party poopers. But if you are serving straight away, definitely top the crostini rounds with the fruity mixture and serve on a platter. And don’t skip seeding the tomatoes or you’ll end up with a soup. A very tasty soup, but that’s a different blog post.

Big shout outs to Barbara of Barbara Bakes for hostessing at her lovely home and Deb of Taste and Tell for hatching the plan.

And now, who’s ready to PAR-TAE?

Kalyn making her way to the baby shower feast and look at that cute baby boy decor thanks to Deb’s cute, crafty sister.

Okay I’m hungry again all over.

From left: The lady of the hour, Two Peas and Their Expanding Pod‘s Maria, Kelley of Mountain Mama Cooks, Annalise of Completely Delicious and Deb of Taste and Tell who brought on the baby cravings with her little man Easton.

Creamy, orangeliscious-ness was on our hostess-with-the-mostess Barbara of Barbara Bakes’ menu, with her Creamy Orange Fruit Dip, fruity, light and the perfect compliment to the baby-smorgasbord.

Dara of Cookin’ Canuck gave us all a bit of the northern lights with her Smoked Salmon Appetizer, a riff on one of her popular blog posts of Smoked Salmon and Horseradish Mascarpone in Wonton Cups

The beauty contest award went to Kalyn’s Kitchen’s Marinated Tomato Salad with Parsley thanks to Kalyn’s prolific zebra tomato bounty. You know from her blog that her homegrown zebras are a favorite summertime ingredient. And for that Kalyn, we thank you. BTW, she uses this to fertilize those lush beauties.

Tiffany of Food Finery was another daredevil in the group, bringing a recipe she’d ingeniously whipped up just the night before the party, her Hot Crab Dip, with lots of fresh crab chunks in a creamy center served with freshly made white corn tortilla triangles.

Kelley’s Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad (above right hand corner) is another recipe that has yet made it to one of our favorite blogs, but we hope to see it on Mountain Mama Cooks soon so you can savor the perfect balance of noodles and roasted veg, light but fulfilling.

And of course there was no shortage in the dessert department. First round went to Deb’s mother’s secret Eclair recipe, which sadly for you has yet to make it to a Taste and Tell‘s blog post. So, just to let you know, you totally missed out on these babies. Not to be outdone, Becky of The Vintage Mixer pimped out a one of my favorite childhood treat of mint chocolate wafers replicated in the fine Mint Chocolate Pudding Dessert Shots. Dessert. In a cute baby cup. Nuff said.

Becky of The Vintage Mixer getting her baby fix.

As if we didn’t need enough baby encouragement already, Easton may have given Maria a false sense of babydom, because he is the most mellow baby ever. I mean, has the kid EVER cried?

Okay. The most perfect gift ever. Way to outdo us all Tiffany.

Dara, the perfect guest, taking notes for the mom-to-be.

Barb loves Kaylyn‘s favorite baby gift: Osh Kosh overalls.

top row from left: Tiffany of Food Finery, Sandra of Everyday Southwest, Barbara of Barbara Bakes, Maria of Two Peas and Their Pod, Donna of Everyday Southwest, Annalise of Completely Delicious, Kate and Kalyn of Kalyn’s Kitchen

bottom row from left: Heidi of FoodieCrush, Lindsey of Cafe Johnsonia, Dara of Cookin’ Canuck, Becky of The Vintage Mixer, Kelley of Mountain Mama Cooks and Deborah of Taste and Tell

Didn’t get your baby fill here? Well then you must check out the virtual baby shower that many of Maria’s www friends threw for her, with so many delicious recipes any mama-to-be’s cravings will be a thing of the past.

photos: FoodieCrush

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