Pesto Tuna Cakes

Halloween is right around the corner, which means we're throwing our annual party! Yippee for costumes and a full spread and friends!

I'm trying out a few new things this year, and had to get a jump on it early. First I made the pumpkin truffles- my first venture into ganache and real candy making. What a pain- but I'll post about that another day. Then I needed to try out a recipe that sounded great in my head, but I didn't know if it would actually taste good or not.

The idea is pesto tuna cakes. You know, like crab cakes but with tuna... and pesto. Really my motivation for this recipe is to get something filling, finger-food friendly, and green on the table. I was wary about the basil and garlic flavor with the fish.

Well my friends, turns out it is delicious! Although my original plan isn't very green as I had planned. I made two versions of the recipe, one with the pesto inside and one with the pesto just on the outside. The inside idea was the one I wanted- I though it would turn the cakes a nice green, but they stayed a normal tan and didn't have as much punch to the flavor. The ones with the pesto on the outside was really more in case the flavor was crummy so we could scrape it off! Turns out the way to go is a nice combo- put the flavor on the inside for a complete experience and the pesto on top for a lovely presentation.


Pesto Tuna Cakes

• 2 Cans Tunafish, drained
  
• 1/2+ C. Plain Breadcrumbs
  
• 1 Egg
  
• Dash Mustard Powder
  
• Dash Paprika
  
• 1 Batch Pesto, divided (see below for recipe)
  
• Olive Oil

1. In a large bowl, mix together the tuna, breadcrumbs, egg, mustard, paprika, and half of the pesto.
   
2. Form this mixture into small patties; for appetizers they should be about 1-1.5 inches across, for entrees around 3-4 inches.
   
3. In a large pan, heat around 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, place cakes in the hot oil to brown on one side. Flip to brown the other side.
   
4. Remove from pan and spread a small amount of the remaining pesto on top of the cake. Serve warm.

Pesto Sauce

• 1 C. Fresh Basil
  
• 2-3 Cloves of Garlic
  
• 3 Tbsp. (about) Walnuts (or pine nuts)
  
• 1/4 C. Grated Parmesan
  
• 1/4 C. (about) Olive Oil

1. Combine all the ingredients in a food processor.
   
2. Blend until smooth, occasionally scraping the sides of the bowl.
   
3. I prefer to start with a little oil and then add more as it needs to be moistened.

Ball of Heaven

I love Christmas Eve. Wanna guess why? Nope, it's not the anticipation of Christmas day. Naw, not friends and family. The beautiful church service? Don't be silly.

No, I love it because I get to make and consume a cheeseball. It's the only time of the year I can get away with making a 6" diameter sphere of cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and other seasoning and then devour it with crackers. It's like a dream come true!

My husband's family has a wonderful tradition of feasting on all the wonderful finger food goodies that they like, and I have happily taken this tradition to heart. Most the items come back every year, and the reason is that they are so good. This year we ate:

• Crab legs
  
• Smoked salmon (excellent with cheeseball)
  
• Finger deli sandwiches
  
• Veggie crudite with ranch dip
  
• Big purple grapes
  
• Sliced Gouda, cheddar, and pepperjack with crackers
  
• Cookies (which we didn't touch)
  
• Sparkling Red Wine
  
• And of course... cheeseball with crackers

Happy holidays indeed!


Cheeseball
From my Mom

• 11 oz. Cream Cheese
  
• 8 oz. Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated
  
• 1 Tbsp. Onions, Shallots, or Green Onions, chopped
  
• 2 Tbsp. Blue Cheese or Roquefort Dressing
  
• 1 tsp. Tabasco Sauce
  
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
  
• Crushed Walnuts

1. Mix together all ingredients except the walnuts in a large bowl. Blend well.
   
2. Remove mixture from bowl and form into a delicious large ball of joy with your hands. Or, you can make a log or multiple cheeseballs.
   
3. Roll/ press cheeseball into small ball of walnuts to coat completely.
   
4. Place on a plate and cover with plastic wrap. Chill for at least an hour before serving.

100th Post- Penguins!

We interrupt the Christmas '07 goodie train to announce my 100th post! Woo hoo! I started this blog back in July while hopping on the popularity wagon and have really enjoyed recording my endeavors in the kitchen. Most posts have 1 recipe, but I've had some that are more than 1 and just a couple that are non-cooking related.

So to celebrate, I'm going to pull something out from last year's holiday celebration. I was not in the habit of photographing food before my blogging days, but this little number was too cute.

Mom asked me to bring an appetizer to Christmas dinner last year and I found this one at my go-to site, Allrecipes.com. Are they not the cutest things? Large black olives stuffed with herbed cream cheese, topped with small black olives decorated with thin thin sliced carrot rounds and roasted red pepper strands make for adorable and pretty tasty treats.

Cream Cheese Penguins
Recipe and Instructions available at AllRecipes.com

Holiday Spiced Nuts

I know it is getting to the holiday season when the spiced nuts make an appearance. My mom has made them for years, including for gifts and church fairs. I've carried on the tradition and am including them in this week's Thanksgiving menu. These nuts are just so easy to pop back, especially when waiting for the bird to finish cooking, or while lazily watching the Detroit Lions play in the afternoon.

And the best parts? Hardly any ingredients, about 3 minutes of prep time, and so easy to make!


Mom's Spiced Nuts

• 1 Egg White
  
• 1-2 tsp. Water
  
• 3/4 C. White Sugar
  
• 1 Tbsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
  
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
  
• 2-2 1/2 C. Plain Dry Roasted Peanuts

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
   
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg white and water until good and foamy.
   
3. Fold in the sugar, pumpkin spice, and salt. Blend until consistent.
   
4. Stir in peanuts to coat.
   
5. On a cookie sheet, pour out the coated peanuts in a flat layer. Any remaining glaze should be poured on the nuts.
   
6. Bake for 25 minutes. Enjoy the wonderful smells!
   
7. Remove from oven and IMMEDIATELY pour into a bowl. Break apart the nuts. As they cool, occasionally stir to keep large hunks to a minimum. Allow to cool before eating.

Spinach & Goat Cheese Tartlets

Tartlets! Something new for me that I've been eager to try!

Sometimes there are things you want to try your hand at, but you just don't have a good excuse to make it. For me, one of those was tartlets- that little appetizer that can be sweet or savory- and really just doesn't make sense when cooking for me and the hubby.

But now a Halloween party, that's a great reason to make tartlets! They are tasty, unique, and are a great compact finger food. And I'm surprised how easy they were. I suppose it would have been harder if I made my own crust, but I just didn't have that kind of time. This whole recipe came together in about 50 minutes, with 30 of those being baking time.

I think these will come back for Thanksgiving with all the parents and vegetarian brother!


Spinach & Goat Cheese Tartlets
(Makes 24 small tartlets)

• 1 1/2 C. Fresh Spinach, chopped
  
• 1 Stalk Green Onion, chopped
  
• 2 Eggs
  
• 1/3 C. Heavy Cream
  
• 4 oz. Soft Goat Cheese
  
• Black Pepper
  
• 2 9" Prepared Dough for Pie Crusts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
   
2. In a small pan, cook the spinach and onion until the spinach is partially wilted. Set aside to cool in a medium bowl.
   
3. Unroll pie crust and use a circular object to cut circles about 1/2" larger than the tartlet pan cups. (My pans had about 2 1/2" diameters, so I used a 3" wide glass.) Press the object into the dough, take the dough circle, and press it into the tartlet pan, keeping any excess on the top.
   
4. In a small dish, beat the 2 eggs. Add in the cream and whisk again until smooth.
   
5. Pour egg mixture in with spinach and stir. Crumble in the goat cheese and stir briskly to "melt" cheese into the batter. Stir in a couple of dashes of black pepper.
   
6. Pour the spinach mix into each tartlet shell, filling about 2/3 the way up.
   
7. Bake for about 30 minutes. Filling will bubble up slightly and set. Remove when shell crust is browned. Cool and serve warm.

Witch's Broomstick Breadsticks & Spinach Dip

One of the things that is so fun about hosting a Halloween party is that creativity is very welcome and a little whimsy is encouraged. I tried to embrace this by finding a fun recipe that incorporated some haunting themes.

I searched around the web and found a really cute idea (don't recall where) to make crisp breadsticks that looked like broomsticks. I paired this with a creamy spinach dip- because green gooey dishes are great on All Hallows Eve!

The breadsticks were tasty, though time consuming to make. I would make them again as normal breadsticks if I used sesame seeds. They were a little bland as made, but were a great side with the flavorful dip. And all the babies in attendance loved them! They were hard enough that they didn't break off in large, choke-hazard pieces but soft enough that they could eventually gnaw off small amounts. They were also the perfect size for pint sized fists.


Witch's Broomstick Breadsticks

• 1 Package Dry Yeast (.25 oz)
  
• 1 C. Warm Water
  
• 3 C. Flour
  
• 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
  
• 1 tsp. Sugar
  
• 3+ Tbsp. Olive Oil
  
• Kosher Salt

1. Dissolve yeast and sugar in the warm water and let it sit for a few minutes until slightly frothy.
   
2. In a warmed Kitchen Aid bowl, pour in yeast mixture. Add in 1 1/2 cups of flour, salt, 2 T of oil. Mix together until dough starts to come together.
   
3. Continue to add in flour until dough is no longer sticky to the touch. Take the dough ball and place it in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise for about 45 minutes.
   
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
   
5. Pour remaining olive oil on a large cookie sheet, or 2 medium cookie sheets.
   
6. Take small balls of dough off the large ball and roll about 4/5 out in your hands to make the broomstick handle. On the last 1/5, smoosh the dough flat and wide for the broom bristles. With a sharp knife, cut the dough into 4 or 5 "fingers," twirling each bristle to keep it separate.
   
7. Place each breadstick on the cookie sheet, dredging each side in the oil to mostly coat the dough.
   
8. When all the broomsticks are formed, sprinkle generously with the kosher salt.
   
9. Bake for 20-25 minutes until browned. Remove from oven and cook on racks.

Creamy Spinach Dip
From AllRecipes.com

• 1 10 oz. Package Frozen, Chopped Spinach
  
• 1 C. Sour Cream
  
• 1 C. Mayonnaise
  
• 2 Stalks Green Onions, chopped
  
• 1 tsp. Lemon Juice

1. Thaw, cook, and drain the spinach. Allow it to cool.
   
2. Combine all ingredients.
   
3. Let sit for at least 1 hour in the fridge for flavors to blend. Serve with bread chunks, breadsticks, or crackers.

Caramel Apple "Quesadillas"

In my menu planning for the party, my goal was to come up with tasty and unique finger foods with autumn flavors. Riiiight... let me just reach in my back pocket for that, right!? Well, everyone loves apples this time of year, especially in New England, and caramel is such a nice pairing. Well, I was NOT about to make 20+ caramel apples. Too messy, too big, too much effort.

Instead I thought of using tortillas as a great delivery device. They have a mild sweet flavor and make for great hors d'oerves wrappers. The vision in my mind was delicious apple chunks in a semi-solid caramel bed, served in cute little tortilla triangle. I came so close, yet so far! The apples I cooked were delicious, though not particularly crisp. The caramel sauce was really tasty and coated the apples perfectly as everything cooked in the oven, but, um, it never set back up. Which means I have very goofy, very drippy caramel sauce oozing out of my wimpy, not crispy tortilla triangles.

Everyone liked them, but it was no happy finger food. I would make the sauce again, but not for this application. I think I would have been better off chopping the caramel candies and interspersing them in the apple before baking. Don't know that it would work better, but it can't be worse!

This picture is sadly accurate... they were not the prettiest thing I've ever made!


Caramel Apple Quesadillas

• 4 Apples
  
• 2 Tbsp. Butter
  
• 1/2 Tbsp. Cinnamon
  
• 1 tsp. Ground Ginger
  
• 1/2 tsp. Ground Cloves
  
• 1/2 tsp. Allspice
  
• Dash of Nutmeg
  
• 2/3 C. Caramel Sauce (recipe to follow)
  
• 4 Small Tortillas

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
   
2. Core the apples and chop into small pieces.
   
3. In a small sauce pan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add in apple pieces and stir to coat. Add in all the spices and cook for about 5-10 minutes until the apples are just softened.
   
4. On a large cookie sheet, lay down 2 tortillas. Divide the apples evenly between the two, spreading the mixture out over the surface area of the tortilla.
   
5. Spoon the caramel sauce over each batch of apples, drizzling evening.
   
6. Place the remaining tortillas over the two loaded ones, and smoosh down a little. Bake in the oven for just about 5 minutes.
   
7. Remove from oven and allow to cool. (With any luck, your caramel will set up and not be so gooey!)
   
8. Gently slice "quesadillas" into thin triangles. I found using a serrated knife worked best as it was such a mess; pressing down on the dish only oozed out the sauce.

Caramel Sauce

• 18 Brachs Milk Maid Caramel Candies
  
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. Heavy Cream
  
• i tsp. Milk

1. In a small saucepan over low heat, add in unwrapped candies, cream and milk.
   
2. Stir the caramels until they melt and combine with the liquids. You will want to stir continually/ very often.
   
3. Use for whatever recipe you want, and then clean pan quickly. This stuff gets REAL sticky in the pan real fast! Would be excellent over ice cream or apple pie.

Pecan Stuffed Mushroom Caps

I have a great stuffed mushroom recipe that uses a white sauce to create a thick, creamy filling that gets coated with breadcrumbs and really melts in your mouth. It also takes forever to make and time was something I did not have with such an ambitious party menu plan and busy work week!

So instead I came up with this stand in. I was able to make the filling early in the week and then throw the caps together when the first guests started to arrive. They were reminiscent of Thanksgiving stuffing and had a really nice crunch that paired with the soft texture of the mushrooms.

Apologies for the pictures... in my haste to just get everything on the table as everyone was already streaming in the door! Most items were photographed on the table, in the dark, after being picked over. Better late than never?


Pecan Stuffed Mushroom Caps

• 2 Large Packages of White Mushrooms
  
• 2 Stalks Green Onions, finely chopped
  
• 1 tsp. Thyme
  
• 1 tsp. Rosemary
  
• 1/2 C. Chopped Pecans
  
• Kosher Salt
  
• Parmesan Cheese

1. Pop mushrooms stems off of the caps, being careful to not damage the caps. You can use gentle pressure with your thumbs to separate the stem from the cap, but if you run into trouble, a paring knife or your CLEAN thumbnail can dig out any remaining pieces. Set aside the caps.
   
2. Chop the stems into small pieces.
   
3. Using either paper or cloth towels, press the stem pieces to remove as much moisture as possible.
   
4. In a small to medium saute pan with a small amount of oil, saute the green onions and mushrooms.
   
5. Add in the herbs and continue cooking mushrooms over medium heat until most of the moisture has cooked out. The mixture will reduce in size significantly and will smell FANTASTIC!
   
6. Stir in pecans. At this point, you can let the filling cool and store it for up to a week until final preparations.
   
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
   
8. Wash the mushroom caps and pat dry as best as possible. Arrange caps on a cookie sheet and lightly sprinkle the insides with the kosher salt.
   
9. Spoon a heaping mound of the filling into each cap. Grate a small amount of Parmesan cheese on each cap.
   
10. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes. Serve either warm or cold.

Non-Spicy or BBQ Chicken Wings

Howdy blog fans... it has been 2 weeks since I posted anything here. (I'm cheating the dates on Blogspot- it helps me keep things straight when I go back to recipes!) It's, uh, it's been busy. I have a relatively new job and I had a lot of work to put in for my first corporate class. So I did a little cooking, but there was time left for blogging- so sad.

The point of all of this is that the next few recipes I'm guessing about. I'm bad in the first place about measuring ingredients as well as writing things down as I cook, so there's a good chance I'm making some stuff up for a few upcoming entries, including this one. Just wanted truth in advertising, ya know?

Ok, so I think this recipe was made back on Sunday the 14th for watchin' football. I thought Adam would really enjoy some chicken wings and beer while enjoying the Pats tear the other team a new one. (I don't recall which team- with a perfect record and crushing against WA taking place as I type, I don't think it matters which one it was.) I don't like hot wings, so I found this kind of sweet, kind of rich marinade online. They were delicious! I may have halved the recipe- I don't remember. I didn't change much though!

However, it turns out Adam doesn't like wings. I guess I missed that somewhere along the way over the last 13 years. I ended up eating about 75% of them- in one sitting. Finger licking good, even if I do peel off most of the skin!


Mahogany Chicken Wings
From AllRecipes.com

• 1.5 lbs. Chicken Wings
  
• 1/2 C. Soy Sauce
  
• 1/2 C. Honey
  
• 1/4 C. Molasses
  
• 2 tsp. Tabasco Sauce
  
• 1 tsp. Ground Ginger
  
• 2 Cloves Garlic, crushed

1. Combine all marinade ingredients in a large ziplock baggie. Mush around to mix.
   
2. Add in chicken and refrigerate for 30 min to 4 hours.
   
3. Light the grill. Grill chicken on medium heat for about 20 minutes, turning once and watching that they don't go up in smoke with all that sugar in the marinade.

Guacamole & Traditional Tomato Salsa

Buenas noches bloggers! Hubby has a Christmas in July shindig tomorrow with his office crowd and was charged with making an appetizer to bring to the party. Guess who was called upon to help a) come up with something to make, b) go with him to tell him what to buy, c) mostly make it for him?! Bean to the rescue! I thought what better way to spice things up than with some fresh salsa and guacamole. Let's turn this get together into a fiesta!



Traditional Tomato Salsa

• 3 Tomatoes
  
• 1 Medium Onion
  
• Medium to large bunch of Fresh Cilantro
  
• Small handful of sliced Jalapenos (jarred or canned)
  
• Juice of half a Lime
  
• Pinch of White Sugar
  

1. Chop tomatoes, onion, cilantro and jalapenos.
   
2. Place chopped veggies into a glass bowl. Mix in lime juice and sugar.
   
3. Let the salsa sit for up to 2 days. Letting it sit for at least an hour will allow the delicious flavors blend!

Guaca-Guacamole

• 2 Avocados (relatively ripe)
  
• 2-4 Tbls. Jarred Salsa
  
• Juice of half a Lime
  
• Small bunch of Fresh Cilantro
  
• 1/4 tsp. Salt
  
• Pinch of Cumin
  
• Dash of Black Pepper

1. Peel the avocados, remove pits, and break into smaller pieces. Place avocado pieces in a mixing bowl. Save the pits.
   
2. Add all ingredients to avocado. The amount of salsa is according to taste.
   
3. Mush avocado and other ingredients together with a sturdy fork. Mix into a smooth consistency.
   
4. Chill guacamole until shortly before serving. Guacamole should be close to room temperature. Enjoy with nachos.

My mother claims that storing the pits with the prepared guaca-guaca will keep it from turning brown; mine still turns brown no matter what. I recommend serving soon after making this delicious green spread.

Buena comida!